On Monday a humbpack whale was spotted in the East Lamma Channel by Marine Police, who alerted the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. This is the first record of such a creature in Hong Kong waters. It is possible that humpback whales could pass close to Hong Kong as they migrate between their breeding grounds in the tropics and feeding grounds in the Arctic. The suspicion is that this individual just got lost.
At the time of the SCMP report, the whale was just “milling” around in the area. Dr. Hung, from the Hong Kong Cetacean Research Project, is hopeful that it will find its way out of the channel and continue its journey. We can only hope that it doesn’t meet one of the true leviathans of the seas around Hong Kong – a container ship.
And some more good news, Japanese whalers have not yet arrived!
The photo above is from this article on the SCMP’s website (subscription required).
