We see minke whales (pronounced mink-ee) on the majority of our whale watching trips. They are “small” baleen whales, about 20-30 feet in length and are currently still being hunted by several countries due to their non-endangered status. However, we don’t know how many minke whales we have in our area since the most accurate numbers for populations come from observing individually identified whales over several years. Minke whale identification has greatly lagged in comparison to humpback and fin whale identification. Since the majority of this ID data comes from whale watching boats, and most boats ignore these “little” whales, the opportunity to collect images of minke whales has been minimal, at best.
That being said, Blue Ocean Society naturalists and captains try hard to get these elusive images. We want to be able to recognize individual minke whales in the same way that we do humpback and fin whales. Minke whales have unique natural markings, the most impressive being the pigmentation along their sides, often looking almost like tiger stripes! A handful of minke whales exhibit scars from entanglements or boat strikes, and two even have what we believe to be genetic deformities.
Today, we are highlighting the sightings record of a minke whale affectionately known by locals as “Finke”. Finke was first observed in late August of 2011. This whale had recently lost its dorsal fin (hence the name Fin-ke) and also had scars indicative of a collision with a small boat. We assume the dorsal fin was also lost in this accident but we have no way to know for sure. Nonetheless, Finke’s injury was substantial and we have been thrilled to see this whale return to the area every year since! Even more exciting is for us to see the injury heal over the years (see images below). Whales have a remarkable ability to not only survive, but to thrive in the face of traumatic injury while lacking medical attention.
Finke has been seen just off the mouth of the Piscataqua River several times. This summer, Finke was seen between Rye Harbor and the Isles of Shoals! Certainly a coastal whale, as most minke whales are typically found at least 6 miles offshore. Finke is also known for its shyness of boats (well deserved) so getting great images of this elusive whale are a little difficult.
This holiday season, please take a moment to reflect on all that you have to be thankful for, including the whales which are often found just miles off of our coast. These leviathans are constantly struggling with human-caused threats which often lead to mortality. We love our whales and want to be sure they are still around for future generations to observe and enjoy. Cheers to Finke, a survivor!
