"Lonely Tunes: Humpback Whales Wail Less As Population Grows"

"WASHINGTON — Those melancholy tunes sung by humpback whales may really be a sign of loneliness.

Scientists who tracked humpback whales in Australia noticed that fewer whales wailed to find mates as their population grew.

“Humpback whale song is loud and travels far in the ocean,” said marine biologist Rebecca Dunlop, who has studied humpback whales that breed near the Great Barrier Reef for more than two decades.

As whale numbers dramatically rebounded following the end of commercial whaling — one of the world’s great conservation success stories — she noticed something unexpected."

Christina Larson reports for the Associated Press February 16, 2023.