The third largest whale species after blue whales and fin whales, sei whales are one of the most poorly understood of all baleen whales. Although they were heavily hunted in the modern whaling era, their current distribution, migration patterns and behaviour are not well studied. Two sub-species are recognized: B. b. schlegelii in the Southern Hemisphere and B. b. borealis the Northern Hemisphere1. Due to their primarily offshore distribution and their unpredictable seasonal movements, sei whales are not often the main target of whale watching activities. However, they can be observed during whale watching tours where their seasonal habitat overlaps with that of more predictable species like humpback whales, gray whales or minke whales.
Sei whale surfacing pattern