The increase in humpback whale sightings around Britain this winter, with 17 sightings around the Isles of Scilly, indicates a possible recovery in their population.
Experts suggest that the humpbacks migrating closer to the English coast may indicate a recovery in their global population, now at 84,000 mature individuals.
The presence of the whales near the English coast might signify they are re-establishing ancestral routes that were lost due to past hunting.
Ruth Williams points to the abundance of bait fish like anchovies around the south west coasts as a potential reason for the increased visibility of humpback whales.
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