Their tail flukes are large, notched, and have an irregularly shaped edge. Habitats and Habits Humpback whales can be found in a wide range of ocean habitats from the waters surrounding tropical islands to shallow waters off continental coasts. They are seasonal feeders, building up body fat reserves in the summer then migrating to warmer subtropical areas during the winter breeding season. In the summer, they inhabit waters from southern California throughout the Gulf of Alaska to the southern Chukchi Sea. In Alaska, humpbacks feed mostly on krill and small fish, such as herring or capelin.
Some individuals feed in the same areas year after year.
There were an estimated 15,000 humpback whales in the North Pacific prior to mechanized commercial whaling. Today scientists estimate there are 1,000 to 1,200. Humpbacks were taken throughout their range, depleting all populations. No other factors are known to have contributed to their decline. Range of the Humpback Whale Research and Recovery Research focuses on estimating population size and following individual whales over many years to gather reproductive and behavioral information.