Humpback whales spotted ‘bubble-net feeding’ 

A group of New England Aquarium researchers caught sight of four “bubble-net feeding” humpback whales south of Martha’s Vineyard last week.

According to associate research scientist Orla O’Brien, bubble-net feeding is a cooperative hunting strategy where whales dive down and blow bubbles in a ring or spiral pattern.

“That basically pushes fish into a smaller group,” O’Brien said. “They get more fish in their mouths per gulp.”

Once the fish have been trapped, the whales will devour their meal. 

“It’s really cool [to see] from a plane,” O’Brien said. “You can see the bubbles start to form in these spiral patterns, before the whales come up to the surface.”

One of the whales in the feeding group was Salt, an iconic female whale. Salt, named for her recognizable speckled dorsal fin, was first spotted in the 1970s. She has been instrumental in advancing scientific knowledge of humpback behavior. In the early 1990s, genetic samples collected from Salt and her calves by Provincetown’s Center for Coastal Studies proved for the first time that female humpbacks are “promiscuous” — meaning their calves have different fathers. Additionally, Salt’s DNA is being used in cancer research.

O’Brien advised the public to keep an eye out for whales when on the water.

“When there are whales feeding like this and there’s a lot of food around, there tend to be a lot of animals using the area,” O’Brien said. “It’s important to remember to watch out for whales if you’re going out there. Make sure to give them space.”