Bryde’s whale

Species Description

Bryde’s whales—the name is pronounced “broodus”—are one of the so-called great whales, such as blue and fin whales, although the Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera brydei) is considerable smaller at twelve to nearly seventeen meters in length, and weighing 40 metric tons. They have 40 to 70 throat grooves that expand when they feed. The three ridges they have on their rostrum are distinctive; most rorquals only have one. They are named for Johan Bryde, a Norwegian whaler who established a whaling station in eastern South Africa. They prefer tropical waters and are not frequently seen in cold water. There have been only three documented sightings of the whale in the Salish Sea. Females are larger than males. 

Behavior and Ecology

Information on Bryde’s whale behavior and ecology is scarce (Constantine et al. 2018). They feed primarily on small schooling fishes and zooplankton, but will also eat crustaceans, and can consume at least 600 kilograms per day. Their dives typically last between five and fifteen minutes, and they seem to spend most of their time within 50 meters of the water’s surface, but they can stay under for as long as twenty minutes, and dive more than 300 meters deep.  

Range and Population Status

The Bryde’s whale’s population and taxonomic structure remain somewhat unsettled (Constantine et al. 2018). The species is found throughout the tropical Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. In the Pacific, they are divided into three stocks: the eastern Pacific, the western Pacific, and the East China Sea. There are no recent estimates of their population size, although in the 1980s their population in the eastern Pacific was thought to number around 13,000 individuals based on mark-recapture efforts and ship-board surveys (Wade and Gerrodette 1993).  

Threats

In and around the U.S., Bryde’s whales are vulnerable to ship strikes and noise pollution, like many whales large and small. Outside of U.S. waters, Bryde’s whales are subject to whaling pressure in southeast Asia and Japan. 

In the Salish Sea

Bryde’s whales are rarely seen in the Salish Sea (Gaydos and Pearson 2011); the waters are thought to be far too cold for their taste. That said, in the spring of 2025, a dead juvenile washed ashore near Port McNeill, on the northern coast of Vancouver Island, more than 1,500 km outside of its normal range. The first documented sighting of a Bryde’s whale in the Salish Sea occurred on January 1, 2010, in South Puget Sound, but the 38-foot sub-adult male was found dead with signs of poor nutrition near Harstene Island two weeks later. Later that year in November another male Brydes whale was spotted in the same general area but died after several days with generalized emaciation and a bacterial infection. The 34-foot whale had suffered extensive injuries suggesting a propeller strike. 

Works Cited

Constantine R, Iwata T, Nieukirk SL, Penry GS. 2018. Future directions in research on Bryde's whales. Frontiers in Marine Science 5:333.

Gaydos JK and Pearson SF. 2011. Birds and mammals that depend on the Salish Sea: a compilation. Northwestern Naturalist 92(2):79-94.

Wade PR, and Gerrodette T. 1993. Estimates of cetacean abundance and distribution in the eastern tropical Pacific. Report to the International Whaling Commission 43:477-493.