though a few countries still continue whaling slowly the numbers of some whales have been
building back up in particular the humpback whale which I was lucky enough to encounter in Alaska
keep an eye out if you see any whales relay it back
to us because these folks are very interested in filming them [Music]
there's quite a lot of Bird activity here you see lots of different seabirds all off the side of the boat
and this is all down to the fact that these seas are just stuffed full of life they're
very cold but because the tides are so heavy and there's so many currents it brings up nutrients
from down low the small fish feed on that the bigger fish feed on those and the Predators
feed on them and that's why these seas are so full as some of the largest some of the
most spectacular animals in the whole world and humpbacks are certainly one of those they're the
most playful and social of all whales breaching slapping the water and Charming us with one of
the most beautiful mournful songs imaginable if hunting had continued at previous levels
these animals would almost certainly be extinct and sites like these would be forever forgotten
yes yes I see one
oh yes when I was a kid these animals were so rare that few people would ever see a site like this
commercial whaling decimated the numbers of humpbacks to
just a few thousand in all the oceans of the world
it's a humpback
and it looks to me like probably a mother and calf just off to the side of us here
just here Johnny look that's definitely a calf
humpback whales migrate throughout the year so in the summer months they come up here where it's
really really rich and the sea is full of food and Gorge themselves they get really really fat
after not eating all winter the whales here will be really ready to feed up their plated throats
expand as they gulp in huge mouthfuls of Water full of shrimp like Krill Plankton and small
fish they then strain the water out through their sieve-like baleen plates pretty impressive stuff
but to capitalize on the food Bonanza of the Alaskan Summer the humpbacks here have started
doing something even more extraordinary they've developed a unique way of hunting as a team
after diving down and taking their positions the herd circles the fish to keep them contained
before another whale dies below the Shoal and emits a deafening cry that's as loud
as a rocket launch [Music] these terrific sounds drive the fish upwards as they try and escape the noise
next another whale begins blowing a net of bubbles around the Shoal
as the fish are driven up by the sound and herded from the sides they're forced right
into this bubble net there's no escape with their mouths wide open the team of hunters
come charging up through the tunnel of bubbles engulfing the fish in their massive mouths
they can eat more than 10 times my weight in food every day
some countries continue wailing even today and still Lobby to allow commercial
whaling to return again exposing the few thousand humpbacks to the Hunter's harpoons
but many other countries are learning from the mistakes of the past using human reasoning to
plan for a more understanding future one of the new ways to make money from whales
is tourism tracking them down with cameras rather than harpoons and Spears [Music]
every year millions of people pay billions of pounds to go and watch whales and now
some countries are realizing the whales are worth more alive than dead [Music]