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Whales in Alaska organise previously unseen co-operative hunting forays, while others fight orcas for herring along the Norwegian coastline. The same orcas unite to loop around shoals of fish and invent underwater boxing. When competition between species is rife, you need to be more intelligent and know how to work together!

In Alaska, in the waters of the Chatham Strait, Fred Sharpe, head of the Alaska Whale Foundation, is seeing new co-operative hunting techniques – including the bubble trap tactic – that humpback whales have developed.

Assisted by a team of biologists and bio-acousticians, Fred tries to gain an in-depth understanding of these exceptional behaviours in order to grasp how these whales communicate with each other to co-ordinate hunting.

At the beginning of every winter on his sailboat, the Barba, biologist Andreas Heide and his crew sail the Fjords of Skjervoy, to the north of Norway, searching for orcas and humpback whales in order to learn more about the unique hunting techniques they use here. Because when 3,000 whales and 2,000 orcas share the same hunting territory, strategy and domination become major stakes.

In the high seas, only the orcas practise a collective technique known as 'carousel' hunting. But along the shore and near the fishing boats, orcas also use surprising co-operative hunting techniques to catch herring.

Bidh mucan-mhara ann an Alasga a' cur air dòigh iomairtean co-shealg leithid nach fhacas riamh roimhe, fhad 's a bhios cuid eile a' strì an aghaidh madaidhean-cuain airson sgadan a ghlacadh far oirthir Nirribhidh. Bidh na madaidhean-cuain fhèin ag obrachadh còmhla airson sgaothan èisg a chuairteachadh. Ma tha farpais eadar ghnèithean pailt, feumar a bhith nas glice agus a bhith comasach air obrachadh còmhla.

Ann an Alasga, ann an uisgeachan Chaolas Chatham, tha Fred Sharpe, ceannard an Alaska Whale Foundation, a' faicinn dòighean co-shealg – leithid an ribe bhuilmein – a dhealbhaich mucan-mara dhronnach.

Le taic bho sgioba bhith-eòlaichean is eòlaichean fuaime chreutairean, tha Fred Sharpe a' feuchainn ri ciall a dhèanamh dhe na cleasan iongantach seo airson tuigse fhaighinn air mar a bhios na mucan-mhara a' conaltradh airson an co-shealg seo, nach fhacas roimhe, a cho-òrdanachadh.

Aig toiseach a' gheamhraidh gach bliadhna air a bhàta siùil, am Barba, bidh am bith-eòlaiche Andreas Heide agus a sgioba a' seòladh fiòrdan Skjervoy gu tuath air Nirribhidh, a' sireadh madaidhean-cuain is mucan-mara dhronnach airson barrachd ionnsachadh mu na dòighean seilg annasach a bhios iad a' cleachdadh an-seo.

Oir nuair a bhios trì mìle muc-mhara agus dà mhìle madadh-cuan a' sealg san aon àite, tha ro-innleachd is smachd riatanach.

Air a' chuan, 's e na madaidhean-cuain a- mhàin a bhios a' cleachdadh dòigh-obrach aonaichte air a bheil sealg "timcheallain". Ach air oir a' chladaich agus faisg air bàtaichean-iasgaich, bidh madaidhean-cuain a' cleachdadh dòighean co-shealg iongantach airson sgadan a ghlacadh.

Dubbed in Gaelic with English subtitles.

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