Dear MARMAMMERS, Since the 30th of December, an humpback whale is present off the coasts of the Nord-Pas de Calais, in the Strait of Dover (north of France). This animal has been observed tree times (the 30rd december, the 11th january (Sangatte) and the 19th january (Boulogne)). We managed to make some photos from the coast, in particular in attempts to identify the animal through photo ID catalogue by the fluke. The animal was swimming not so far from the shore (min : 800m), apparently hunting. The humpback whale didn’t seem to suffer from troubles. The main danger of this animal is the marine traffic which is particularly dense in this area. This is the third observation of this species until the last 10 years. A first animal was observed in February 2006 front of Dunkerque and washed ashore in Nieuport (Belgium) in March of the same year. The second observation was a female and her calf in 2008. If you have any information about humpback whale in the Southern North Sea or in The Eastern Channel, please share with us. link for the picture of the animal seen the 11th of January http://web.me.com/oceamm/filechute/11%20janvier%202011.JPG Best regards -- Valentine SimarChargée d'études à OCEAMMObservatoire pour la Conservation et l'Etude des Animaux et Milieux marins 51 rue du General de Gaulle 59123 Zuydcoote(0033) 3 28 61 88 97 www.oceamm.org