Humpback whales defy extinction as numbers in British waters surge

Britain is seeing a return of the Humpback Whale in its waters, as 75 have been spied off the Cornish coast in the last two years.

According to the Wildlife Trust’s annual review, the sea creatures have been seen off Shetland, the Isles of Scilly and the Firth of Forth.

Thanks to hundreds of years of whaling, the species has been under threat from extinction. Indeed, sightings of Humpbacks near Britain have become few and far between for decades.

Numbers have recovered since a 1966 suspension on whale hunting.

However the explanation for growing numbers in Britain can be attributed to spiking numbers of marine life such as sardines, according to ecologists.

'Only a few years ago, it would have been extremely rare to see a humpback whale around the UK. But it looks like they are chasing big shoals of sardines that are now present around our shores. It is magnificent to see these creatures up close', said Matt Slater, of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

However, the sardine spike could be indicative of shortages of other sea creatures Brits are more used to. If cod and tuna is overfished that could lead to higher numbers of sardines, as the teatime staples regularly eat the same sardines that might be responsible for drawing the humpacks back to the British seas.

'It’s been a fantastic year for marine megafauna sightings, particularly in the South West,' said Lissa Batey, of The Wildlife Trusts.

'But it’s clear that our oceans are under immense pressure from fishing, development, pollution, climate change and recreation. All these issues are having a huge impact on life at sea.'