This video shows over 2,000 seals and about 30 whales in a feeding frenzy in Monterey Bay, California on November 5th, 2013.
There has been an enormous increase in sea life in the Monterey Bay the past few months due to a late season burst of anchovies in the Bay. Literally miles upon miles of anchovies.
Groups of 200 Humpback Whales. Pods of 20 Orcas. Hundreds of Bottle-Nose Dolphins. Thousands of Pelicans. Thousands more gulls. The Humpbacks are now suspected of feeding cooperatively with the seals.
more footage of the November 5th, 2013 feeding frenzy in Monterey Bay
Whale watching in the Bay is nuts right now. On a normal whale watching tour in Monterey Bay, tourists are stoked to see a whale or two. Right now, it’s common to see 60 whales on a 4 hour tour.
“In most years, the humpbacks would have departed for Mexico weeks ago and the pelicans flown south. But with the anchovies still in abundance, no one is sure how long they will stay. They could remain through December, scientists said, or depart any day.” – New York Times
So what is causing this explosion in anchovies this year?
“The $64,000 question is why this year?” said Dr. Marinovic, who noted that anchovies had been unusually scarce for the last five or six years and that when they do thrive, they usually appear in the spring and early summer.
He and other scientists speculated that a convergence of factors — a milder than usual fall, a strong upwelling of colder water, the cycling of water temperatures in the bay — have created what Dr. Marinovic called “the perfect storm.” – New York Times
another video from a November 9th, 2013 feeding frenzy in Monterey Bay
