Whales flock to Greenland's east coast for massive feeding frenzies

An unprecedented number of humpback and fin whales are congregating off the east coast of Greenland, engaging in massive feeding frenzies. This surge in whale populations in the region, a stark contrast to observations from just two decades ago, is drawing the attention of scientists.

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The ship was surrounded with whales. It were not 20 or 40 but hundreds, maybe even 1,000. The captain turned off the engines. The only thing we heard was the splashing of fins and the 'poof' of exhaling whales.

Researchers estimate that in 2024 alone, around 4,000 humpback whales, 5,200 common fin whales, and 6,400 minke whales migrated to eastern Greenland. These marine giants collectively consume an estimated 1 million tons of krill and fish from the waters each year. This behavior, described as "mass feeding events" by researchers, involves whales filtering vast quantities of seawater through their baleen plates to capture their prey.

Reporter Leah Crane described witnessing such an event aboard a ship this summer, where hundreds, possibly up to 1,000 whales, surrounded the vessel. She detailed the process: whales surfacing to exhale, then rolling onto their backs to open their mouths wide, transforming their streamlined bodies into distended, wrinkled sacs filled with seawater before closing their jaws.

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On its way to the water surface, each whale first exhaled, then turned onto its back, opened its mouth and took a huge gulp of water. The entire front half of the whale changed from a streamlined triangle into a bulging, wrinkled bag full of sea, and it closed its mouth.

Scientists attribute this dramatic increase in whale activity to climate change. The average summer surface water temperature off Greenland's east coast rose by 1 degree Celsius in the early 2000s, marking a significant turning point. Previously, the waters were often covered by thick, multi-year sea ice. As this ice melts more frequently, it creates a more comfortable and accessible environment for large whales during the summer months, allowing them to follow northward-shifting fish stocks.

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A clear turning point.