Humpback whales Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Simple Summary: Nursing in large baleen whales and specifically the humpback whale is not well documented and difficult to capture in real time. Using underwater video documentation techniques, we collected digital video footage of humpback whale nursing events. From this, we provide an enhanced descriptive account of humpback whale suckling and recorded milk in the water near a nursing mother and calf column for the first time. As part of our investigation into nursing behaviors, we assessed if humpback calves demonstrated any patterns of laterality during nursing events. A pattern of laterality was noted in that all suckling events had a right side bias. Nursing bouts were short and intermittent, which coincides with what is known of larger terrestrial mammals such as the African elephant and other baleen whales. These shorter nursing periods are likely are due to the energetics of baleen whale milk coupled with the calf s short respiration cycle before it has to return to the surface to breathe. Our study shows that underwater observations in marine mammal science provide valuable insight into real time events not easily accessible from vessel or aerial platforms. Abstract: We investigated nursing behavior on the Hawaiian breeding grounds for first year humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calves. We observed and video-documented underwater events with nursing behavior from five different whale groups. The observed nursing events include behaviors where a calf positions itself at a 30–45 • angle to the midline of the mother's body, with its mouth touching her mammary slit (i.e., suckling position). On two occasions, milk in the water column was recorded in close proximity to a mother/calf pair, and on one occasion, milk was recorded 2.5 min after suckling observed. Nursing events, where the calf was located in the suckling position, were found to be short in duration with a mean of 30.6 s (range 15.0–55.0, standard deviation (SD) = 16.9). All observations of the calf in the suckling position (n = 5, 100%) were with the calf located on the right side of the mother, suggesting a potential for right side laterality preference in the context of nursing behavior. Our study provides insight into mother/calf behaviors from a unique underwater vantage. Results supplement previous accounts of humpback whale nursing in Hawaiian waters, validate mother/calf positioning, document milk in the water column, and introduce the potential for laterality in nursing behavior for humpback whale calves.

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- Humpback whales

North Atlantic humpback whales (NAHW) migrate between feeding grounds and breeding/calving grounds, with most individuals aggregating off the Dominican Republic in winter. Smaller areas throughout the West Indies have fewer individuals and it is possible that these areas were once densely populated, or that they serve another important function in NAHW life history (such as mothers/calves staying away from major mating areas, young males "practicing" song and other adult male activities, etc.). We examined resightings between Puerto Rico and areas throughout the North Atlantic. Puerto Rico west coast data were collected from a small vessel and a land platform between 2011 and 2014. NAHW arrive in Mona Passage, Puerto Rico, near the first week in January and leave around the end of April, with peak occurrence close to the first week in March. We documented 197 groups of 331 individual NAHW. High-resolution digital photographs were obtained for 90 (27%) individuals and submitted to Allied Whale, College of the Atlantic for comparison to the NAHW catalog, returning 24 (27%) fluke matches. Matches were made between Puerto Rico and Canada (Newfoundland and Labrador), Gulf of Maine, Greenland, Iceland, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, and Guadeloupe. Gaps between first and last sightings ranged from one month to 34 years. Results emphasize that those individuals not resighted for an extended period of time may not be presumed deceased. Continuous surveys will be important for understanding the importance of small areas throughout the West Indies where humans and whales overlap, providing marine managers with information regarding "endpoint of migration" occurrence patterns, especially important as NAHW increase in numbers and ahead of the proposed U.S. delisting of NAHW as endangered.

- by Cathy E Bacon and +1
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- Marine Biology, Animal Behavior, Caribbean Studies, Marine Mammals
- by Jorge Urbán
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- Mexico, Abundance, Humpback whales

Drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have huge potential to improve the safety and efficiency of sample collection from wild animals under logistically challenging circumstances. Here we present a method for surveying population health that uses UAVs to sample respiratory vapor, 'whale blow,' exhaled by free-swimming humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), and coupled this with amplification and sequencing of respiratory tract microbiota. We developed a low-cost multirotor UAV incorporating a sterile petri dish with a remotely operated 'blow' to sample whale blow with minimal disturbance to the whales. This design addressed several sampling challenges: accessibility; safety; cost, and critically, minimized the collection of atmospheric and seawater microbiota and other potential sources of sample contamination. We collected 59 samples of blow from northward migrating humpback whales off Sydney, Australia and used high throughput sequencing of bacterial ribosomal gene markers to identify putative respiratory tract microbiota. Model-based comparisons with seawater and drone-captured air demonstrated that our system minimized external sources of contamination and successfully captured sufficient material to identify whale blow-specific microbial taxa. Whale-specific taxa included species and genera previously associated with the respiratory tracts or oral cavities of mammals (e.g., Pseudomonas, Clostridia, Cardiobacterium), as well as species previously isolated from dolphin or killer whale blowholes (Corynebacteria, others). Many examples of exogenous marine species were identified, including Tenacibaculum and Psychrobacter spp. that have been associated with the skin microbiota of marine mammals and fish and may include pathogens. This information provides a baseline of respiratory tract microbiota profiles of contemporary whale health. Customized UAVs are a promising new tool for marine megafauna research and may have broad application in cost-effective monitoring and management of whale populations worldwide.

- by Vanessa Pirotta and +2
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- Microbiology, Conservation Biology, Marine Megafauna, Wildlife Conservation

Enerji arz ve talebinde her geçen gün artan dengesizlik bir yana dünyanın son yirmi yılda hem siyasal hem de ekonomik olarak geldiği nokta alternatif enerji kaynaklarına olan ihtiyacı zorunlu kılıyor. Yenilenebilir enerji kaynaklarından olan rüzgar enerjisi uzun süredir üzerinde kafa yorulan seçeneklerden olmasına rağmen istenilen patlamayı bir türlü

- by mehmet cem ates
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- Wind Energy, Energy, Whales, Humpback whales
- by Patricia E Lamelas
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- Marine Mammals, Mamiferos Marinos, Humpback whales, Samana Bay

Las ballenas jorobadas, Megaptera novaeangliae, del Atlántico Norte Occidental migran cada invierno desde sus áreas de alimentación en las aguas costeras frías de Norte América, Groenlandia e Islandia, hasta las aguas cálidas del Atlántico Occidental Tropical y el Caribe insular. El motivo de tan extenso viaje es reproductivo, pues se aparean y paren sus crías en estas bajas latitudes. Es una maravilla de la adaptación natural que estos mamíferos gigantes puedan administrar tan bien sus reservas de energía en un periodo de unos 3-4 meses, usualmente entre Enero–Abril, para realizar ese largo viaje ida y vuelta, emplear energía en el cortejo, las hembras preñadas parir y alimentar sus crías, todo sin alimentarse mientras permanecen en las áreas reproductivas y hacen la travesía.
La Bahía de Samaná es uno de los destinos de una porción de la población, y lo ha sido por mucho tiempo, como lo testifican pictografías tainas en cuevas de la zona. En tiempos mucho más recientes la visita anual ha dado lugar a una actividad turística de observación que es una de las más atractivas en el mundo, por lo cerca que se encuentran las ballenas en la entrada de la bahía. Para la región y el resto del turismo nacional, la observación de ballenas genera una importante actividad económica, en especial para la flota de embarcaciones que provee los servicios

- by Patricia E Lamelas
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- Marine Mammals, Mamiferos Marinos, Humpback whales, Samana Bay

Arias-Gaviria, D., Muñoz-Vargas, C.A. & I.C. Avila. 2011. Tourist Guide of Whalewatching in Colombia. Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Vice Ministry of Tourism, Directorate of Quality and Sustainable Development of Tourism of Colombia. Bogotá, Colombia. 61p. (Español & English).
Available online http://www.guiadeballenas.com/english/
Disponible en linea http://www.guiadeballenas.com/

- by Isabel C . Avila
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- Tourism Management, Colombia, Wildlife Conservation, Whale Watching

Este informe de la temporada de observación de ballenas 2013, tiene el objetivo general
de mostrar y describir los resultados obtenidos en el monitoreo de ballenas jorobadas en
la Bahía de Samaná durante la temporada 2013.
Objetivos Especificos:
• mantener actualizado el conocimiento de la situación y las tendencias de variación de la distribución, estructura social y conducta del segmento poblacional de las ballenas jorobadas sometido a observación turística en la Bahía de Samaná,
• estimar el número de individuos que visitaron la Bahía de Samaná en 2013 a través de la fotoidentificación,
• darle seguimiento al estado de salud de los individuos a través de la identificación de afectaciones en la piel y/o malformaciones,
• identificar y describir los principales impactos antropogénicos que puedan estar afectando a las ballenas jorobadas en el área de observación, conociendo que es una zona de múltiples usos en la bahía, y
• derivar recomendaciones con medidas de manejo a fin de proteger y conservar este recurso natural considerado como un patrimonio nacional.

- by Patricia E Lamelas
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- Marine Mammals, Humpback whales, Samana Bay, CEBSE

In this paper, hydrodynamic effects of ventral pleats covering mouth and bell parts of humpback whales are studied for the first time. In this regard, turbulent flows over a simplified model of the animal body as a half grooved ellipsoid are numerically simulated using Lam-Bremhorst low Reynolds turbulence model resolving to the wall at different angles of attack and sideslip. The results show that presence of the ventral pleats leads to formation of low speed strips and shear layer/vortex on the bottom surface of the animal, which in turn results in a relatively higher pressure region on the bell and higher drag coefficient compared to a case without grooves. In this way, pleats generate lift and contribute to buoyancy force and also increase tendency of flow separation. The results also depict superior performance of the grooved body at sideslip angles. Furthermore, results of cavitating flow simulation over the grooved model showed a suppression of lift generation contribution of the ventral grooved surface in cavitating conditions, the most similar situations to bubbly flows experienced by humpback whales in bubble net fishing environment.

- by Arash Taheri
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- Zoology, Ichthyology, Numerical Simulations, Fluid Mechanics

Inspired by topology of humpback whale flippers, a meta-model is designed for wing planform design. The net is trained based on experimental data using cascade-forward artificial neural network (ANN) to investigate effects of the amplitude and wavelength of sinusoidal leading edge configurations on the wing performance. Afterwards, the trained ANN is coupled with a genetic algorithm method towards an optimum design strategy. Finally, flow physics of the problem for an optimized rectangular planform and also a real flipper geometry planform is simulated using Lam-Bremhorst low Reynolds number turbulence model with damping wall-functions resolving to the wall. Lift and drag coefficients and also details of flow are presented along with comparisons to available experimental data. Results show that the proposed strategy can be adopted with success as a fast-estimation tool for performance prediction of wing planforms with wavy leading edge at preliminary design phase.

- by Arash Taheri
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- Zoology, Ichthyology, Hydrodynamics (Physics), Computational Fluid Dynamics

Flórez-González, L., I.C. Avila, J. Capella, P. Falk, F. Félix, J. Gibbons, H. Guzmán, B. Haase, J. Herrera, V. Peña, L. Santillán, I.C. Tobón & K. Van Waerebeek. 2007. The Conservation Strategy of the Southeastern Pacific humpback whale... more

- by Isabel C . Avila
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- Marine Conservation, Cetaceans, Humpback whales, Megaptera Novaeangliae

El objetivo general de este informe es el apoyo en la gestión del Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos de la República Dominicana a través del Programa de Monitoreo de Ballenas Jorobadas (Esquema 1. y Esquema 2.) y por lo tanto, a su vez,... more

- by Patricia E Lamelas
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- Marine Mammals, Mamiferos Marinos, Humpback whales, CEBSE

El libro expone y discute datos sobre distribución, uso del hábitat, grupos sociales, abundancia relativa y fotoidentificación de las ballenas jorobadas en la Bahía de Samaná, obtenidos entre enero y marzo de los años 2004, 2005 y 2006. Se presenta el modelo batimétrico digital del área de observación de ballenas de la Bahía de Samaná y una caracterización de las variables oceanográficas durante los meses de la temporada reproductiva.

A large complete wall of the whale barnacle Coronula diadema (Linnaeus, 1767) occurring in early Pleistocene (Calabrian) mudstones near Riparbella (Tuscany, Italy) is described. Sedimentary facies analysis indicates that these deposits represent an open shelf setting, similar to many of those reported for whale fossils to date. The extant and fossil record of C. diadema and other species belonging to the genus and family are revised herein. The study confirms a global distribution for C. diadema and dates its presence in the Mediterranean from the early Pleistocene (Calabrian). A global distribution is attributed to the only other well-known fossil coronulid, Coronula bifida Bronn, 1831, which is common within the Pliocene record of the Mediterranean, and is documented in the Pliocene of the Pacific domain and in the earliest Pleistocene of the Atlantic [as C. barbara (Darwin, 1854)]. No overlap of stratigraphic ranges has been noted: C. bifida occurs in the Piacenzian-Gelasian and C. diadema is recorded from the Calabrian to the present. It is therefore suggested herein that C. diadema is a direct descendant of C. bifida and that the evolution of the former included a pronounced increase in size of the adult shell. The fossil record of large whales supports this hypothesis, which is further reinforced by the global character of its hosts such as the ocean-going humpback, blue, fin, and sperm whales. The general high host specificity of whale barnacles, which today include Cetopirus complanatus (Mörch, 1853) of the same family, can be extended back to the Pliocene. Considering these aspects, a coevolutionary trend towards an increase in size linking oceanic whales with coronulids is proposed.

- by Stefano Dominici
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- Coevolution, Humpback whales, Megaptera Novaeangliae, Coronula

In the Southern Hemisphere, humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae feed in Antarctic waters during the austral summer and migrate to their breeding grounds in subtropical and tropical waters during the winter. Historical whaling records suggest that the Archipelago of São Tomé and Príncipe, located in the Gulf of Guinea, serves as a possible breeding ground. In order to investigate the temporal occurrence and group composition of humpback whales around São Tomé Island, annual surveys were conducted during the breeding season between 2002 and 2006. A total of 186 boat-based surveys took place during this period. Data collected during each sighting included geographical positions, group size, group composition and behavioural classifications. Of the 66 groups encountered, mother/ calf pairs made up a large proportion (65.15%), followed by solitary individuals (15.15%). Mother/calf pairs were seen in the region into November and resightings of identified animals indicate periods of occupancy that extended over three weeks. Few behaviours typically associated with mating activity were observed. Given the high percentage of mother/calf pairs, sometimes with very young calves, and the low frequency of mating activity, the waters of São Tomé may primarily serve as a calving and nursing or resting area for humpback whales.

- by Cristina Brito and +1
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- Marine Biology, Conservation, Humpback whales

This is the first annual report on distribution, seasonal movements and migration behaviours of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (PPMR). Humpback whale research has been undertaken in the area for the past 10 years as part of Dolphin Encountours Research Center (DERC) and DolphinCareAfrica’s (DCA) opportunistic monitoring work. Data has been previously compiled within the annual DolphinCare Report - Monitoring of Marine Megafauna within the PPMR.

- by Dolphin Encountours Research Center
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- Oceanography, Marine Science, Humpback whales
- by Jorge Urbán
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- Feeding, Mexico, Cetaceans, Humpback whales

The study introduces a new blade geometry that was inspired by a hump back whale flippers. This blade was introduced first by Dr. Frank Fish and named “whale- inspired blade”.
Using solidworks and qblade softwares we simulate the blade geometry and the wind turbine rotor. Whale- inspired blade shows that it increased its Cl/Cd more than the unbumped blade’s Cl/Cd when the velocity is increasing and also when the angle of attack is increasing. During the flow simulation the unbumped blade’s flow lines already separates at 15o angle of attack, as the angle of attack increases the flow separation also increases that will cause stall and we don’t want that to happen, but the whale- inspired blade’s flow simulation result was different as it creates swirling vortices that re- energized the boundary layer to re attach the flow lines, that’s why whale- inspired blade have more Cl/Cd compared to the unbumped blade when the angle of attack is increasing.
We compare our Cl/Cd results to the previous year’s corrugated dragonfly- wing blade and we can tell that our whale- inspired blade is much better than their corrugated dragonfly- wing blade.

- by Petronillo Peligro
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- Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Aerodynamics

Understanding reproductive rates of wild animal populations is crucially important for management and conservation. Assessing pregnancy status of free-ranging cetaceans has historically been difficult; however, recent advances in analytical techniques have allowed the diagnosis of pregnancy from small samples of blubber tissue. The primary objectives of this study were as follows: (i) to test the efficacy of blubber progesterone assays as a tool for diagnosing pregnancy in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae); (ii) to estimate the pregnancy rate of humpback whales in Monterey Bay, California; and (iii) to inves- tigate the relationship between stable isotopes and reproductive status of these whales. Progesterone concentrations of female whales fell into two distinct groups, allowing for diagnostic separation of pregnant and non-pregnant individuals. Pregnancy rate varied between years of the study (48.4%% in 2011 and 18.5% in 2012), but fell within the range of other estimates of reproductive success for this population. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were examined to investigate the impacts of pregnancy on these values. Neither δ15N nor δ13C varied in a consistent way among animals of different sex or reproductive status. The relationship between δ15N and δ13C was strongly positive for male and non-pregnant female humpbacks; however, no relationship existed for pregnant whales. This difference may be indicative of the effects of pregnancy on δ15N, resulting from tissue synthesis and reduced excretion of nitrogenous waste, as well as on δ13C through increased mobilization of lipid stores to meet the energetic demands of pregnancy. Ultimately, our results support the use of blubber progesterone assays for diagnosing pregnancy in humpback whales and indicate that, when paired with other approaches (e.g., stable isotope analysis), pregnancy status can be an informative tool for addressing questions about animal physiology, ecology and population biology. This information will provide for more effective management and conservation efforts in a rapidly changing world.

- by Casey Clark and +3
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- Endocrinology, Stable isotope ecology, Stable Isotope Analysis, Stable Isotopes

During the whale-watching season of 2008, 6,663 whale watchers and 267 boat trips were recorded in Bahía Málaga, Colombia. Forty-four percent of humpback whale pods sighted in the area were approached by boats. Operators in 2008 did not... more

- by Isabel C . Avila and +1
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- Animal Behavior, Colombia, Tourism, Whale Watching

Uramba Bahía Málaga Natural National Park is one of the most
important places visited by tourists to see humpback whales
(Megaptera novaeangliae) in Colombia. Humpback whales arrive
from Southern Chile and the Antarctic Peninsula every year
between May and December to reproduce, give birth and rear
calves. To evaluate the current state of whale watching in Málaga
we analyzed tourist visitation data from 2011 to 2019 during the
peak whale-watching season (July–October), and during one
week in October 2020. We found that whale-watching activity
has increased considerably. In 2019, 21,186 tourists realized
whale watching in Málaga. Whale watchers per month increased
by 108% and monthly whale-watching boat trips increased by
140%, in the last decade. Currently there are in average 19
boat trips per day (±18.0), and most boats are small (≤15 m).
Tourists came mainly from Colombia (90%). August was the most
important month for whale watching. Although environmental
education activities are undertaken, currently responsible whalewatching guidelines are overlooked. At present, whale-watching
activity produces important economic benefits for local people
and neighboring sites, with a monthly expenditure of at least
$362,409 USD, but to ensure the sustainable continuity of this
activity, negative impacts on whales need to be minimized. We classified management challenges into social, economic and biological aspects. From a social perspective, operators should form a whale-watching community association; this would improve cooperation amongst operators, promote good practices in whale-watching and reduce pressure on whales. Economic recommendations include 1) whale-watching trips handled mainly by local people; 2) ticket prices unification; and 3) investment in tourist facilities. Biological recommendations focus on the welfare of whales and include: 1) follow the current whalewatching recommendations strictly; 2) reduce transit speeds to below 10 knots in the area during whale season; 3) use propeller guards; 4) promote land-based whale watching; 5) implement acoustic whale tourism; 6) reinforce environmental education programs; and 7) support long-term monitoring and scientific research. Based on these three aspects, we urge environmental and ethnic authorities, conferring with relevant stakeholders, to determine the whale-watching carrying capacity of the area and to promote a responsible tourism. Authorities need to strengthen the monitoring, oversight and control of this growing tourist activity in order to ensure its long-term persistence.

- by Isabel C . Avila
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- Tourism Studies, Tourism Planning and Policy, Conservation, Tourism Planning

A atividade baleeira no Brasil marcou a construção da territorialidade portuguesa na América, num período de transferência e circulação de conhecimento, produtos e pessoas. Numa triangulação de interesses económicos, entre a Europa, África e a América, a baleação teve impacto a nível social, cultural, científico e ambiental. A prática de uma caça dirigida a fêmeas e crias levou ao início das preocupações conservacionistas, consequente do desequilíbrio das populações pristinas de baleias, e pode ter desencadeado uma substituição sequencial das espécies alvo. Este é um tema de pesquisa da Ação Europeia COST Oceans Past Platform que, no âmbito da história ambiental, pretende analisar a relação humanos-meio natural e as trajetórias de mudança perante o meio marinho e aos seus elementos, vivos e atores da mesma história.

- by Nina Vieira
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- Environmental History, Whales, Whaling, Humpback whales

Many baleen whales were commercially harvested during the 20th century almost to extinction. Reliable assessments of how this mass depletion impacted whale populations , and projections of their recovery, are crucial but there are uncertainties regarding the status of Southern Hemisphere whale populations. We developed a Southern Hemisphere spatial " Model of Intermediate Complexity for Ecosystem Assessments " (MICE) for phytoplankton, krill (Euphausia superba) and five baleen whale species, to estimate whale population trajectories from 1890 to present. To forward project to 2100, we couple the predator–prey model to a global climate model. We used the most up to date catch records, fitted to survey data and accounted for key uncertainties. We predict Antarctic blue (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia), fin (Balaenoptera physalus) and southern right (Eubalaena australis) whales will be at less than half their pre-exploitation numbers (K) even given 100 years of future protection from whaling, because of slow growth rates. Some species have benefited greatly from cessation of harvesting, particularly humpbacks (Megaptera novaeangliae), currently at 32% of K, with full recovery predicted by 2050. We highlight spatial differences in the recovery of whale species between oceanic areas, with current estimates of Atlantic/Indian area blue (1,890, <1% of K) and fin (16,950, <4% of K) whales suggesting slower recovery from harvesting, whilst Pacific southern right numbers are <7% of K (2,680). Antarctic minke (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) population trajectories track future expected increases in primary productivity. Population estimates and plausible future predicted trajectories for Southern Hemisphere baleen whales are key requirements for management and conservation.

- by Viv Tulloch
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- Climate Change, Modeling and Simulation, Predator-Prey Interactions, Whales

We present a multi-agent system which incor-porates mobile agents that communicate using a simple song-grammar made up of a small vocabulary. Agents are attracted to move towards other agents who by singing demonstrate a similar grammar. Agents also adapt their grammars based on the singing of other nearby agents. The closer the nearby agents are, the greater the influence. These features consistent with a number of the proposed hypotheses for the singing behaviours of Humpback whales and other marine mammals. As a result of these features we show how over time the agents song grammars become more correlated, and agents which are closer geographically have more closely correlated grammars. Furthermore the agents group into clusters, or “schools”, which exhibit highly correlated grammers, and hence similar songs, and will tend to continue moving in these “schools”.

- by Alexis Kirke
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- Music, Algorithmic Composition, Artificial Life, Emergence

Cetacean entanglements in fishing gear cost governments, fishermen and stakeholders millions of dollars a year, and often result in serious injury or death of the entangled animals. Entanglements have been implicated in preventing the recovery of some large whale populations. Acoustic deterrents on fishing nets are widely used to reduce incidental captures of dolphins and porpoises, but there is little evidence as to whether they effectively deter large whales. We tested whether a low-frequency whale alarm (3 kHz Whale Pinger ® , 135 ± 5 db, 5 s emission interval and 400 ms emission duration) deterred Southern Hemisphere humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae from approaching a potential source of entanglement. Northerly migrating humpback whale pods were tracked by an observer blind to alarm status (on/off) as they passed an alarm moored in the centre of the peak migration path. Of 137 pods tracked, 82 (60%) passed within the assumed detectable range (500 m) of the alarm, 51/78 (65%) when it was on and 31/59 (52%) when it was off (p = 0.18). There was no discernible response to the alarm. Whale pods did not differ in directionality, course heading or dive duration when within detectable range of the alarm, whether it was on or off, and a number of pods passed directly over the alarm while it was operational. This suggests that single alarms as currently configured and attached to a trap or pot line are unlikely to effectively deter humpback whales from approaching potential hazards, at least during their northerly migration phase.

- by Vanessa Pirotta and +1
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- Conservation Biology, Conservation, Fisheries, Marine Science

- by Isabel C . Avila
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- Tourism Studies, Tourism Planning and Policy, Conservation, Tourism Planning
- by Cathy E Bacon
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- Marine Biology, Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Caribbean

North Atlantic humpback whales migrate between breeding grounds in the West Indies and high-latitude feeding grounds off the USA, Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. A large portion of the North Atlantic humpback population over-winters in the West Indies, concentrated in the Greater Antilles, while only small numbers visit in the Lesser Antilles. Recordings of humpback whale songs and sightings of mothers and calves confirms that humpbacks use the Lesser Antilles as a mating and calving ground. However, the feeding-ground destination of whales from the Lesser Antilles is not well documented. Results of photo-identification surveys conducted in the Lesser Antilles have yielded the first re-sighting of a humpback whale between the French West Indies and the feeding grounds off Newfoundland / St Lawrence Canada.

- by Caroline Renato RINALDI and +1
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- Caribbean Studies, Humpback whales

This study provides the first detailed long-term research on the seasonal pod characteristics, seasonal social behaviour and temporal segregation of different reproductive and maturational classes of humpback whales in Hervey Bay (Queensland, Australia). The overall aim was to investigate the importance of the Bay for particular classes of humpback whales. This study revealed that Hervey Bay is an important habitat for mature females accompanying immature whales early in the season and mothers with calves later in the season. Hervey Bay is neither a terminal destination nor a calving or breeding area but rather a stopover early in the southern migration.

- by Trish Franklin
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- Humpback whales

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are a cosmopolitan species and perform long annual migrations between low-latitude breeding areas and high-latitude feeding areas. Their breeding populations appear to be spatially and genetically segregated due to long-term, maternally inherited fidelity to natal breeding areas. In the Southern Hemisphere, some humpback whale breeding populations mix in Southern Ocean waters in summer, but very little movement between Pacific and Atlantic waters has been identified to date, suggesting these waters constituted an oceanic boundary between genetically distinct populations. Here, we present new evidence of summer co-occurrence in the West Antarctic Peninsula feeding area of two recovering humpback whale breeding populations from the Atlantic (Brazil) and Pacific (Central and South America). As humpback whale populations recover, observations like this point to the need to revise our perceptions of boundaries between stocks, particularly on high latitude feeding grounds. We suggest that this "Southern Ocean Exchange" may become more frequent as populations recover from commercial whaling and climate change modifies environmental dynamics and humpback whale prey availability.

- by Isabel C . Avila and +1
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- Marine mammals (Marine Conservation), Whales, Humpback whales

Considerable uncertainty exists regarding the migratory destinations of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from the Antarctic
Peninsula region and the breeding grounds off the coasts of South America. Evidence is presented on the migratory patterns of Antarctic
humpback whales based upon movements of individuals identified by natural markings as part of a large-scale international collaboration.
Recapture rates were compared between animals from the low latitude breeding and calving areas along the northeastern (n=288) and
northwestern (n=325) margins of South America with those identified in the high-latitude feeding areas in the region of the Antarctic
Peninsula (n=535). The number of individuals re-sighted in the Antarctic Peninsula differed dramatically between eastern and western
South America (c2=40.98, p=1.5 3 10–10). No individuals from Brazil were re-sighted in either the Antarctic Peninsula or off western South
America. In contrast, 43 individuals from western South America were identified off the Antarctic Peninsula. These findings suggest that
the northwest coast of South America represents an important breeding ground destination for at least some of the humpback whales that
feed near the Antarctic Peninsula, but provide no support for movement between the Antarctic Peninsula and the east coast of South
America.

- by Isabel C . Avila
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- Colombia, Antarctica, Humpback whales

The movements of individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) can be tracked by matching photographs of the distinctive markings on the ventral sides of their tail flukes. During the winter-spring seasons of 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 a total of 42 individual humpbacks were identified by fluke photographs from the waters of the Cape Verde Islands. These were compared with photographs taken elsewhere in the North Atlantic. One match was made with a whale previously photographed in the Denmark Strait off Iceland, providing the first direct evidence of a link between the humpbacks in tropical waters of the eastern North Atlantic and a high-latitude feeding ground. This finding is consistent with the mitochondrial DNA evidence of at least two distinct breeding populations of humpback whales in the North Atlantic. The presence of cows with young calves as well as singers during the humpback mating and calving season implies that waters surrounding the Cape Verde archipelago constitute a breeding and calving ground for an eastern North Atlantic population of humpback whales.

- by Beatrice Jann and +2
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- North Atlantic Ocean, Humpback whales

Invasive tags designed to provide information on animal movements through radio or satellite monitoring have tremendous potential for the study of whales
and other cetaceans. However, to date there have been no published studies on the survival of tagged animals over periods of years or decades. Researchers from the National Marine Mammal Laboratory and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution tracked five humpback whales with implanted radio tags in southeastern Alaska in August 1976 and July 1977, and tracked two humpback whales in Prince
William Sound, Alaska, in June 1978. All seven of these individually identified humpback whales were resighted at least 20 yr after first being tagged, and five of the seven have been observed for more than 30 yr; some of them are among the most resighted humpback whales in the North Pacific. Photos of tagging sites taken during and subsequent to tagging operations show persistent but superficial scarring and no indication of infection. These pioneering field studies demonstrated both long-term survival of the whales and the short-term effects of deploying radio tags, which at the time were larger and more invasive than those typically used today.

- by Sally Mizroch and +1
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- Survival, Telemetry, Humpback whales, Photo-Identification

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) aggregate in winter breeding and calving grounds along continental margins, coastal islands, or archipelagos located in tropical waters. Migration to these breeding sites requires a long journey from northern feeding areas in temperate and circumpolar latitudes. The humpback whales habitat preference is generally restricted to coastal areas, and their tendency to concentrate in specific locations to reproduce exposes them to anthropogenic threats such as fishing, coastal development, water pollution, and marine traffic. There has been an increasing interest for coastal development projects that intent to capitalize the natural attributes of Golfo Dulce, in the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, potentially threatening the stability of the ecosystem and creating habitat disruption for the wintering population of humpback whales in the area. This contributions focalize in important ecological aspect related with areas use, particularly behavioral elements associated with the spatial aggregation of competitive groups, mothercalf pairs and vocalizing humpback whales. We identify areas with significant aggregation of mother-calf pairs that can be categorized as critical nursing areas, producing key baseline information to promote effective conservation and management strategies such as Marine Spatial Planning.

- by maria gabriela
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- Cetaceans, Humpback whales, Osa Peninsula
- by Cathy E Bacon and +1
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- Marine Biology, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Cetacean research

A B S T R A C T Bycatch of marine fauna by small-scale (artisanal) fisheries is an important anthropogenic mortality source to several species of cetaceans, including humpback whales and odontocetes, in Ecuador's marine waters. Long-term monitoring actions and varied conservation efforts have been conducted by non-governmental organizations along the Ecuadorian coast, pointing toward the need for a concerted mitigation plan and actions to hamper cetaceans' bycatch. Nevertheless, little has currently been done by the government and regional authorities to address marine mammal interactions with fisheries in eastern Pacific Ocean artisanal fisheries. This study provides a review of Ecuador's current status concerning cetacean bycatch, and explores the strengths and weaknesses of past and current programs aiming to tackle the challenges of bycatch mitigation. To bolster our appraisal of the policies, a synthesis of fishers' perceptions of the bycatch problem is presented in concert with recommendations for fostering fishing community-based conservation practices integrated with policies to mitigate cetacean bycatch. Our appraisal, based upon the existing literature, indicates a situation of increasing urgency. Taking into consideration the fishers' perceptions and attitudes, fisheries governance in Ecuador should draw inspiration from a truly bottom-up, participatory framework based on stakeholder engagement processes; if it is based on a top-down, regulatory approach, it is less likely to succeed. To carry out this process, a community-based conservation programs to provide conditions for empowering fishing communities is recommend. This would serve as an initial governance framework for fishery policy for conserving marine mammals while maximizing the economic benefits from sustainable small-scale fisheries in Ecuador.

- by Juan Jose Alava and +7
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- Marine Mammals, Ecuador, Dolphins, Fisheries Bycatch

During the austral winter, G-stock humpback whales immigrate and occupy the Bahía Málaga area, Colombian Pacific, to breed and calve. However, due to fishing and whale-watching activities, and proximity to the major Buenaventura seaport, significant vessel traffic transits the Bahía Málaga. We counted the number of whales and boats present h-1 in a 14 km 2 area, from a 20 m high shore platform. During 312 daytime hours of observations over 52 days in August-September 2008, we recorded 770 sightings of whale pods (many resampled), 0-15 humpback whales h-1 (mean 4.0 whales h-1) and 0-17 vessel trips h-1 (mean 4.5 trips h-1). Each additional day in the breeding season showed an 1.0% increase in the mean number of sighted whales, due to still arriving whales and new calves. The majority of trips (96%) consisted of small vessels, the rest were medium vessels. Most (71.1%) transited at fast speed (≥16 knots). To evaluate whether the vessels affected the density of whales per hour in the study area, we fitted a Generalized Linear Model with number of whales as dependent variable and vessel size and speed as factors. Number of vessel trips did not have a significant impact on the number of whales sighted h-1. Over the short term (hours), the whales remained in the same area despite the shipping. The evident risk of vessel-whale collisions and potential long-term impact are discussed. To mitigate risk of ship strikes, several measures are recommended, such as a vessel speed below 10 knots in the vicinity of whales.

- by Isabel C . Avila and +1
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- Conservation, Colombia, Collisions, Vessel traffic

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean clearly demonstrates signs of recovery from whaling over the last three decades and was recently down-listed in the Official Brazilian Red List. Nevertheless, there is an apparent rise of new threats to the species, including entanglement in fishing gear and skin diseases. Here we report seven confirmed cases of entanglement of humpback whales in Brazilian waters in 2015, including two juveniles found dead with attached gillnets in the southern coast. In addition, we present a severe case of skin disorder in a live whale photographed in southeastern Brazil, as well as the results from bacteriological analyzes of stranded individuals from southern Brazil. Although these records warrant serious attention, additional investigations are needed to understand if these threats have effects only on individuals or can affect the population structure of humpback whales off Brazilian waters.

- by Lucas Milmann and +1
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- Humpback whales

Migratory Group V (Stock E1) humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae are at risk of entanglement with fishing gear as they migrate north and south along the east coast of Aus- tralia. This study investigated the effectiveness of 2 distinct tones for use as an alarm to acousti- cally alert whales to fishing gear presence and therefore reduce the chance of entanglement. We compared how whales responded in terms of changes of surface behaviour and changes in direc- tion of travel in response to 2 acoustic tones and when there was no alarm. These 2 acoustic tones were a 5 kHz tone (5 s emission interval and 400 ms emission duration, similar to but higher fre- quency than the signal from a Future Oceans F3TM 3 kHz Whale Pinger®) and a 2−2.1 kHz swept tone (8 s emission interval and 1.5 s emission duration). A total of 108 tracks (focal follows) were collected using a theodolite at Cape Solander, Sydney, Australia, during the whales’ 2013 north- ern migration. Linear mixed effects models were used to determine the effect of the different acoustic tones on whale direction (heading), and behaviour (dive duration and speed). Whales showed no detectable response to either alarm. Whale direction and surfacing behaviour did not differ whether the alarm was ‘on’ or ‘off’. Although the response may have been different if the alarms were attached to fishing gear, the lack of measurable response suggests that the types of tones used are not likely to be effective in alarms intended to reduce entanglement of northward migrating Australian humpback whales.

- by Vanessa Pirotta and +4
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- Acoustics, Conservation Biology, Australia, Fisheries Management

Recent photo-identification and genetic studies have identified at least five discrete breeding populations in Australia and Oceania: western Australia
(D), eastern Australia (E (i)), New Caledonia (E (ii)), Tonga (E (iii)), French Polynesia and the Cook Islands (F). Also evident are low levels of
intermingling among breeding populations consistent with the degree of genetic differentiation. Photo-identification has confirmed linkages between
Area V feeding areas and eastern Australia breeding grounds and one genotype match has been reported between Area V feeding areas and Oceania
breeding grounds. Recent abundance estimates show strong increases in the eastern Australian population, and some recovery in the New Caledonia
and Tonga populations, but with little evidence of recovery at other known Oceania breeding grounds or New Zealand. Studies to date have provided
no conclusive evidence of the migratory destination of humpback whales passing through New Zealand waters en route between Antarctic feeding
areas and tropical breeding grounds. Photo-identification comparisons were undertaken between humpback whale fluke catalogues from eastern
Australia (EA, 1315), Oceania east (OE, 513), Oceania west (OW, 166) and New Zealand (NZ, 13). Five matches were found between OE/OW,
four matches between OW/EA and three matches between NZ/EA. The data are used to investigate and discuss the migratory destination and
breeding ground migratory interchange of humpback whales travelling through New Zealand waters. The data confirm that humpback whales with
site fidelity to eastern Australia migrate past New Zealand including through the Cook Strait and Foveaux Strait.

- by Wally Franklin and +2
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- Humpback whales, Migratory Connectivity, Highly migratory species
- by Joseph Mobley and +2
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- Marine Biology, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Cetacean research

Documentation of humpback whale movements between east and west Australian breeding grounds have been restricted to limited historical data from 'Discovery' marks, and implied from song analysis and molecular data. We report on the first... more

- by Trish Franklin and +3
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- Humpback whales
- by Jorge Acevedo
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- Humpback whales

We examined the incidence of rake mark scars from killer whales Orcinus orca on the flukes of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae throughout the North Pacific to assess geographic variation in predation pressure. We used 3650 identification photographs from 16 wintering or feeding areas collected during 1990 to 1993 to determine conservative estimates in the percentage of whales with rake mark scarring. Dramatic differences were seen in the incidence of rake marks among regions, with highest rates on wintering grounds off Mexico (26 vs. 14% at others) and feeding areas off California (20 vs. 6% at others), 2 areas between which humpback whales migrate. Although attacks are rarely witnessed, the prevalence of scars demonstrates that a substantial portion of animals are attacked, particularly those that migrate between California and Mexico. Our data also suggest that most attacks occur at or near the wintering grounds in the eastern North Pacific. The prevalence of attacks indicates that killer whale predation has the potential to be a major cause of mortality and a driving force in migratory behavior; however, the location of the attacks is inconsistent with the hypothesis that animals migrate to tropical waters to avoid predation. Our conclusion is that, at least in recent decades, attacks are made primarily on calves at the wintering grounds; this contradicts the hypothesis that killer whales historically preyed heavily on large whales in high-latitude feeding areas in the North Pacific.

The movements of individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) can be tracked by matching photographs of the distinctive markings on the ventral sides of their tail flukes. During the winter-spring seasons of a total of 42 individual humpbacks were identified by fluke photographs from the waters of the Cape Verde Islands. These were compared with photographs taken elsewhere in the North Atlantic. One match was made with a whale previously photographed in the Denmark Strait off Iceland, providing the first direct evidence of a link between the humpbacks in tropical waters of the eastern North Atlantic and a high-latitude feeding ground. This finding is consistent with the mitochondrial DNA evidence of at least two distinct breeding populations of humpback whales in the North Atlantic. The presence of cows with young calves as well as singers during the humpback mating and calving season implies that waters surrounding the Cape Verde archipelago constitute a breeding and calving ground for an eastern North Atlantic population of humpback whales.

- by Manuel Carrillo
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- Zoology, North Atlantic Ocean, Marine Mammal Science, Humpback whales