Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Fin Whales Spotted Off Lima and Callao, Scientists Urge Caution

IMARPE says the sighting is a routine seasonal migration, with ENFEN warning incoming warm Kelvin waves could raise coastal temperatures and alter marine patterns.

¡SORPRESA EN EL MAR! Inusual avistamiento de ballenas en Lima y Callao sería por el Niño Costero
¿Qué hacen ballenas frente a Lima? Avistan a dos especies de más de 20 metros nadando en el litoral
Image

Overview

  • Videos and photos posted May 21–22 by meteorologist Abraham Levy and others showed two large whales close to boats off Lima and Callao and went viral across social media.
  • IMARPE biologists reviewed the footage, identified the animals as fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), and said the encounter fits a normal northward seasonal migration rather than a confirmed El Niño effect.
  • Some outlets and commentators linked the sighting to coastal warming from the El Niño costero, a view that contrasts with IMARPE’s migration explanation.
  • ENFEN warns warm Kelvin waves arriving in May–June could raise coastal sea temperatures, a development that may change species distributions and that authorities say requires continued monitoring.
  • IMARPE urged vessels and beachgoers to keep a safe distance because these whales are huge but not typically aggressive, and officials noted that Peru’s main whale-watching season still peaks in Piura and Tumbes from July to September.