68th parallel

Today’s Geo Quiz takes us north to the 68th parallel. That puts us just inside the Arctic Circle, a region now enjoying 24 hours of daylight.

We’re looking for a rocky archipelago off Norway’s northwest coast. Millions of sea birds, including sea eagles and colorful puffins migrate each year to this region.

They feast on the fish that swim in the waters of the Vestfjord. It separates the archipelago we’re looking for from Norway’s mainland. And who knows WHAT ELSE lurks in the cold deep waters of the Vestfjord?

Puffin

Listen to the Geo Quiz hint

Can you identify this sound and name this Norwegian archipelago?

Time to clear up our Geo Quiz mystery and locate this Norwegian archipelago. The World’s David Leveille has the answer:

Loften

The rocky islands of the archipelago in the Norwegian Sea called Lofoten rise dramatically up out of the Norwegian Sea.

On them are scattered small fishing villages with names like Henningsvaer, a village of 450 residents, mostly fishermen, whalers and one marine biologist named Heike Vester.

Her research focuses on bio-acoustic communication among marine mammals….seals, killer whales, and other fish found in the waters of the Vestfjord. On most days, Vester packs her lunch, a G-PS, and a hydrophone (that’s an underwater microphone) and heads for open water on her zodiac:

“…and you scan the horizon for anything that doesn’t look like water. Sometimes when you see a white splash and you see it again and again and maybe you see a black fin that’s when you have found a whale… Once we’re with the whales, we ho[pe that they're not disturbed by us so that we can approach them slowly, stop the boat and record."

Vester recorded this clicking sound. She says it's sperm whales in search of a meal --- their clicks travel thru the water, bounce off clusters of squid or fish, and echo back the good news. It's called echo-location.

I recorded it in 2006 off the coast because the sperm whales don't come into the Vestfjord they stay further out where it is quite they deep 2,000 meters where they find squid

Now these are year-round residents in the Vestfjord . Vester says this pod of pilot whales was idling near the surface one summer day, buzzing and clicking.

They came up to the boat and they were just laying and calling and they called for quite some time you can hear they get little active, and then when it's quiet they disappeared almost like saying goodbye to us.
Pilot whales resting in Vestfjord | Photo: Heike Vester

Another marine mammal that likes to linger in these waters is the Orca. Vester says Killer whales have learned to loiter around Norwegian fishing boats as the catch is hauled in:

The killer whales search herring close to the boats or they wait till the fishing boats have hauled in the herring so they go and wait for the spill or steal herring directly from the net. I have reports from fisherman they say that sometimes in the morning when I woke up the horizon is black with killer whales just waiting for them to pull in the herring.

Who says there's no free lunch? OK I saved the best for last. Vester made this recording out floating around the Vestfjord. There's no boat engine rumbling to interfere. The Orcas speaks for themselves:

It was one of the rare situations where I actually encountered whales by myself, there were no other boats around and they were carousel feeding, It was 12-18 animals herding the herring which are usually deep it the water columns, so they have to dive down and pick it up and chase it to the surface and the buzzes are used to scare the herring under the surface they hit it with their tails that's the tail slaps bang! and then the herring is dead and or stunned and they eat it one by one, they don't just feed or feast on the herring no they're very delicate, they just eat one herring and then another one.

Carousel feeding Killer whales | Photo: Heike Vester

Heike Vester has compiled 5 years worth of her recordings on new CD called Marine Mammals and Fish of Lofoten. There are no vocals. No guitar solos. Just whales, dolphins, seals, sharks and mackerel. Vester’s hope is that her audio research will promote protection of Lofoton’s unique marine ecosystem. It’s a fascinating listen. But the CD’s long and usual tracks shouldn’t be gulped down, better to savor them one by one the way Orcas eat herring.

Marine mammals and fisch of Lofoten and Vesterålen recorded by oceansounds / Norway | Heike Vester

Marine mammals and fisch of Lofoten and Vesterålen recorded by oceansounds / Norway | Heike Vester

Recorded by oceansounds / Norway | Heike Vester

Gruenrekorder
Ocean Sounds