"Planet Earth" director unveils incredible discovery about Vancouver Island whales

“Each great whale has the same impact as planting a forest of 30,000 trees.” 

Fredi Devas wants to stress that point.

The wildlife filmmaker and director of the newest Planet Earth told Daily Hive that if whales were to return to pre-whaling (aka whale-hunting) numbers, it would be equivalent to planting 30,000 trees. Experts agree.

Between hunting, ship strikes, and noise pollution, it’s rare that whales get a win these days.

But the newest Planet Earth documentary (which will again be narrated by the ever-popular Sir David Attenborough) will feature one of those rare wins and an even rarer feeding technique Vancouver Island humpback whales have adopted: trap-feeding.

It was first documented near the Broughton Archipelago off the coast of Port McNeill in 2011, when a humpback whale named “Conger” was observed by Jackie Hildering, Christie McMillan, and Jared Towers. Devas became aware of the paper in 2019.

“I got straight in touch with the authors,” he said.

BBC Studios/Fredi Devas

There are many reasons this is something to celebrate.

Overfishing threatens whales, and many of them die each year from entanglement in fishing gear. Overfishing results in a reduction in the amount of fish available for animals to feed on.

This new technique is a rare occurrence where humpbacks have gotten creative with finding food — and it has stunned researchers.

“It brings me a lot of hope. Because we don’t know why Conger first did that … there’s fishing pressure enormously on our oceans, and Vancouver Island is no exception,” Devas said. “For me, it shows that under different conditions, they can come up with new ways to adapt.”

So, how does it work?

Typically, humpback whales usually feed beneath the surface of the water; however, humpbacks who trap-feed do it near the surface of the water.

When the density of fish in the water is low and diving birds are chasing them, whales will open their mouths, and the fish will race into them. Devas said it’s likely because they assume it’s a dark cave they can hide in.

 

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“In the wildlife filmmaking world, it’s just becoming more and more common to see these really strange anomalies,” Devas said, referring to man-made climate change and human’s impact on nature.

The actual trap-feeding is a difficult process to capture on film. Devas said he came to Vancouver Island twice in order to film it, and in the first five weeks, he didn’t see a thing.

But the BBC doesn’t take no for an answer.

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The Planet Earth team spent six weeks bouncing from Telegraph Cove to the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve to capture the rare behaviour from boat level and with drones. It was only in the last week that they managed to capture the behaviour fully, and they got the first-ever footage of multiple humpbacks trap-feeding ever recorded.

“It’s so interesting to see how [trap-feeding] transmits throughout the population,” Devas said. “It’s not like the young whales are teaching their parents. It’s actually who the whales affiliate with, who they hang out with, basically. They’re picking it up off each other.”

While the new technique is cause for celebration, it doesn’t mean humpback whales aren’t threatened or endangered — they are.

“The only way that we can make sure that humpback whales, as well as the other great whales — like the blue whales, the sei whales and the fin whales — is to bring about proper protection for those whales,” Devas said.

He added that there are simple ways to protect whales, such as limiting noise in oceans by limiting boat traffic and speeds– especially in areas like Vancouver Island, where there is an increased density of whales — and switching to electric motors.

“Mothers and calves use a lot of vocal communication for the bonding period,” Devas said. “And when they’re in noisy oceans, it’s harder for them to bond.”

Where can I watch?

The eight-part Planet Earth series premieres Sunday, March 10 at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT on BBC Earth in Canada during the channel’s nationwide free preview event, happening from February 26 to April 28, 2024.

Episode 7, titled “Human,” will include the new whale behaviour, but the episode itself will revolve around how animals adapt to survive when faced with competition from human activity.

 

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Planet Earth III was filmed in 43 countries across six continents over nearly five years. With all his travelling and filming across the world, including remote places such as Antarctica, Devas has plenty of wonderful things to say about this little slice of Canada.

“Vancouver Island is spectacular because there are not many places where you can see pods of dolphins; you can see sharks; you can see whales; is it massive eagles flying; you see huge bird aggregations feeding on herring baseballs, and sea lions and black bears and the list goes on,” he said. “So, as a wildlife enthusiast, there’s never a dull moment.”