Humpback whale feeding frenzy in Monterey Bay

On September 22nd, 2013, amateur photographer Tory Kallman joined captain and naturalist Nancy Black on an all-day whale watch fundraiser for the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

Hoping to perhaps catch a glimpse of the humpback whales that enter Monterey Bay to feed on krill in the summer months, Kallman was instead treated to the spectacle of a whale feeding frenzy.

This year, an explosion of anchovies in the bay has provided a feast not only for humpback whales but also for sea lions, brown pelicans, and even the largest of all mammals, the blue whales.

Sea lions and brown pelicans are among other species enjoying the huge runs of anchovies. Photo: Tory Kallman

A humpback whale lunges for anchovies during a feeding frenzy. Photo: Tory Kallman

According to Kallman, the group of humpback whales were engaged in a feeding behavior called ‘cooperative lunge feeding.’

The whales blow large underwater bubbles that herd the fish into tight schools or ‘bait balls.’ The whales then lunge upward in unison, mouths open, catching large mouthfuls of the fish and straining out the water through their baleen plates.

Humpback whales use their bristle-like baleen plates to filter out the water and eat the fish. Photo: Tory Kallman

When lunge feeding, humpback whales work together to corral the fish into tight schools and lunge in unison. — When lunge feeding, humpback whales work together to corral the fish into tight schools and then lunge in unison. Photo: Tory Kallman

“Although it isn’t uncommon to see the whales feed, you really need a lot of conditions to align to see this type of surface lunge feeding behavior,” said Kallman. “Often they feed below the water, so you don’t see the kind of surface activity we did in this case.”