Have Blue Whales Stopped Singing? Paying Attention to Their Songs Could Benefit Humans, Too

Research published earlier in 2025 revealed that whales sing less when food is rare. Using underwater, or Hydrophones microphones, an interdisciplinary team of researchers recorded the songs of blue whales and humpback whales while spending time in the National Marine Sanctuary of Monterey Bay on their usual migration lanes. The study started in 2015 in an intense marine heat wave, which considerably reduced the food sources of whales.

During the study, the song of the blue and humping whales was at its lowest point during the peak of this heat wave.

When the heat wave ended and the food supplies rebounded, the songs of the two species increased – until later in the study, when something interesting happened. The humpback whale song continued to increase, while the blue whale songs started to fall again.

Are blue whales.

The explanation of this difference could be found on the menus of the whale dinner. Blue whales eat krill exclusively, while bumps also eat small fish, such as sardines and anchovies.

Using Noaa fishing data, the researchers found that the availability of the Krill and the Fish varied a lot during the study period. During the third year of the study, Krill was still relatively abundant. But the fish were not so abundant. The two species could find enough Krill to eat.

In the fifth year, however, Krill levels had dropped again, but there was an excellent fish supply. This meant that the bumps could compensate for the loss of krill by eating more fish, while the blue whales were unlucky. And indeed, the song models reflected these ups and downs in the availability of food.

“When Krill became quite weak in abundance at the end of this six -year period, the blue whales had only one option. They had to seek further and further to find Krill because they do not eat anything else, ”explains John Ryan, principal research specialist at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and principal author of the study. “The humpback whales were in a much more favorable situation. When the Krill has become weak in abundance, the fish soar in abundance and the bumps have passed to eat fish, ”adds Ryan.

Although the quantity of songs of whales is correlated with changes in food supply, the researchers do not depend on this to determine what the whales ate. The change of diet was followed by analyzing the isotopic composition of the skin of the whales, explains Ryan. These studies have confirmed that the blue whales have continued to feed on Krill, even when they had to feed on a larger area to find enough to eat, while the bumps have mainly eaten fish.

Although the food supply – and therefore the level of singing of the whales – varied throughout the six -year period, at the end of the study, the songs of the two species had increased from the level 2015.

Learn more: At almost 500 feet underwater, the experts heard the sounds of the nonsense whale

Study whales and their ecosystem

The blue whales are already in danger because of their small population size, explains Ryan. And this research shows that their less flexible eating habits make the situation even more difficult for them.

“I think their challenges, honestly, are bigger,” says Ryan.

This information, as well as other data collected from acoustic surveillance and other new technologies, provide information beyond the whale feeding habits.

“When we study whales, we actually study the whole ecosystem,” says Ryan. “Because the whales are so closely linked to changes in their ecosystem. We get a window in a very complex ecosystem that changes considerably, from year to year, but really from week to week.”

Environmentalists and resource managers, such as those who manage marine sanctuaries, can use this information to help protect these animals in danger.

“If we know when the whales are there and we know what processes in the ecosystem form where they live, we know if they spend more or less time in the way of dangers,” explains Ryan.

We cannot change the food sources of the ocean, but we can change our habits to protect whales. If the whales move further at sea – outside the sanctuary – looking for food, we can slow down ships and move shipping routes so that there is less chance of hitting the whales.

Future whale needs

This can look like a pipe dream, but real progress has been made in the past decade. An organization called Blue Whales and Blue Skies worked with maritime companies to slow down their ships when they are in the sea sanctuary.

In 2024, the maritime companies that volunteered to participate in the program and reduce their speed to 10 knots or less when in the designated areas reduced the risk of deadly ships in the whales endangered by around 50%. These actions also reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 49,000 metric tonnes in 2024.

However, to do this kind of thing, says Ryan: “We need solid scientific research that tells us what will be the most effective strategy for balanced the economic needs of trade and whale survival needs.”

Learn more: Blue whales continue the wind to hunt tiny prey

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