Blue whales have started returning to the coast of Spain 40 years after they vacated. The world’s largest mammals have been spotted on the coast of Galicia in northwest Spain several times since 2017. First, marine biologist Bruno Díaz spotted a blue whale in 2017, the first sighting of a blue whale in Galicia since the 1980s. In 2018, a different whale was spotted, followed by another in 2019. In 2020, two whales were spotted and identified by marine biologists as the ones from previous years. Just a week ago, a different blue whale was spotted off the Islas Cíes. Díaz says that blue whales vacated the coast of Spain due to human actions. “I believe the moratorium on whaling has been a key factor,” Díaz said. “In the 1970s, just before the ban was introduced, an entire generation of blue whales disappeared. Now, more than 40 years later, we’re seeing the return of the descendants of the few that survived.” Spain enjoyed one of the most robust whaling industries for over a century before the ban. Unfortunately, by the time the ban arrived in 1986, blue whales in Spain were virtually extinct . The return of the blue […]
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