Sei whale strands – In a field in Yorkshire!

Sei whale stranding in Yorkshire.Credit Kirsten Smith

September 2011. A whale has become stranded and died in the Humber Estuary close to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Spurn nature reserve near Hull. The whale, which measures 10.1 metres in length, is currently unidentified although is thought to be a Sei whale.

Kirsten Smith of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said "This is the latest in a series of whale sightings off the east coast this year. There has been a marked increase in the number of marine mammal sightings closer to the shore throughout 2011, which has on occasion resulted in the stranding of whales. At present it is unclear what the reason for this is."

Although it looks as though the whale is in a field, it is actually on a salt marsh. Salt marshes are marine habitats that are flooded twice a day when the tide is in. The area has been experiencing some very high tides and then low tides of late, which is why the whale has been carried quite so far inland. This would also be why the whale ended up in the Humber estuary in the first place – having come in on high tide and then got stuck at low tide. 

11 Sei strandings in 100 years
In the last 100 years have been only eleven Sei whales stranded on the UK coastline, so if the whale's identity is confirmed as Sei this will be particularly unusual. There is some speculation over the identity as not all the whale's characteristics fit neatly into defined boxes, however samples have been taken for genetic analysis to confirm this once and for all.

Report all sightings
To help us understand what is happening in the North Sea we would ask the public to report any sightings of whales, dolphins and porpoises either directly to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust or to the Sea Watch Foundation. With the designation of Marine Conservation Zones taking place in 2012 it is crucial that we have an accurate picture of which species are present and where in UK's seas.

Sei whale starnded in Yorkshire - credit Kirsten Smith