Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea

Humpback whales were considered extremely rare in the Mediterranean Sea until recently. Only two confirmed records were known f rom a period of more than 100 years and both were from the western basin. However, nine new observations spread across both Mediter ranean basins have been recorded since 1990. This increase in numbers and range during a relatively short period of time seems to be a new, growing trend, suggesting that the occurrence of humpback whales in the Mediterranean Sea is no longer accidental, but occasion al. It coincides with the recovery of some stocks of the expanding North Atlantic population after their depletion during a long perio d of whaling. The true reason behind increased humpback whale entries in the Mediterranean Sea and their exact origin cannot be known until n ew occurrences are properly photo-identified and sampled genetically.