Estimates of group size and rates of interchange between humpback whales in the Whitsunday Islands and Hervey Bay, Queensland

1 Pages·2001·0.31 MB·

by  Greg Kaufman

ABSTRACTS 617
EISNTTIEMRACTHEASNGOEFBGETRWOEUEPNSHIZUEMPABNADCKRAWTHEASLEOSF bdeytgeernmiitnaledphfoorto21(558whfaelmeasle(s15a6ndfe4m8almeasleasn)d,p5r9emsaelnecse)oefitchaelrf
IN THE WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS AND HERVEY (98females),oroccurrenceofsinging(11 males). Datahave
BAY, QUEENSLAND. (ABSTRACT) From 1993-1999we been analysed to provide population estimates for each
spent 719 days in the Whitsunday Islands {298 days) and location and to determine the rate ofexchangebetween the
Hervey Bay, Queensland (421 days) studying humpback twoareas.PhotoshavealsobeencomparedtotheoverallEast
whale(Megapteranovaeangliae)utilisationpatternsofthese Australia Humpback Whale FlukeCatalogue (nowat2,192
two importantmigratorydestinationsofGroupVwhales. A individuals). Resighthistories and calving rate ofidentified
total 182 days (1,102 hours) were spent on thewater in the femaleshavebeendetermined.Themigratorycharacteristics
pWhhoittos-uinddeanytsif,iaendd{2o3n9tdhaeysb(a1s,i9s64ofhotuaris!)-filnuHkeersvheoytsBaayl.oWnee) HoferavneiymaBlasymhoavsiinmgporbteatnwteeimnpltihceatWihonistsfuorndtaheymIasnlaangdesmeanntd
individual whales 1,567 times. Comparison ofphotographs ofwhalewatchingoperationsalongtheQueenslandcoast.
showed these dentifications included 1,212 whales, 315 Greg Kaufman (e-mail: [email protected]), Patricia
HobesrevrevyedBfaiyrs.t iOnfthteheWh1i,t2s1u2ndwahyasleasndi8de9n7tiofbiesde,rve1d06firwsetrien KNiaheesisiRgoaadn.d,PKaiuhleiF,orHesatwealil,iP9a6ci7f5i3cWUShAa;h'MFioluanndiatCihoanl,ouWpIkaN,
dpahtoet,o-tiidmeen,tGifPiSedloicnatbiootnh,ploodcastiizoen,s.ageS/isgehxticnlgasdsaotfaidiennctliufdieedd DLuecpiaart4m0e7n2,tAoufstZroaollioag;y2/9CRACu,gusUntiv2e0r0s0i.t'y ofQueensland, St
animal, sea state, and surface water temperature. Sex was
OVERWINTERING NORTH PACIFIC HUMPBACK their calves. Ten occurrences of overwintering were
WHALES IN ALASKAN WATERS (ABSTRACT) documentedforninewhales;onein 1997,fourin1998,onein
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are present 1999 and four in 2000. One whale overwintered twice, in
year-roundinsoutheasternAlaska.Ithasbeenunknownifthe 1998 and 2000. The other whales were not sighted often
whalesobservedinmidwintereventuallymigratetoamating enoughtoruleoutalatemigrationfromthefeedinggrounds
and calving ground or forgo migration for that year. This oranearlyreturnfromthematingandcalvinggrounds.
study documents true overwintering on a feeding ground, Theimplicationsofoverwinteringhumpbackwhalesand
where a whale was sighted often enough to determine that an extremely staggered migration are significant. These
migrationcouldnothaveoccurredthatwinter. findingscouldaltertraditionalmethodsofestimatingkeylife
Sighting histories were compiled for individually history parameters because many population assessment
identifiedwhalespresentinsoutheasternAlaskabetweenmid models (i.e. population estimates) are dependent upon the
DecemberandmidApril, 1994-2000.Thesedatashowedthat assumption that all whales are available forsighting on the
more than 150 different whales were present at some time matingandcalvinggroundseachwinter.
duringthesesevenwinters.Whalesincludedcalves,yearlings, Janice M. Stralev, University ofAlaska Southeast Sitka
juveniles, adults, males, pregnant females (known by the Campus, 1332 SewardAvenue, Sitka, Alaska 99S35, USA
presenceofacalflaterthatyearorthenextwinter),mothers (e-mail;[email protected]); 29August2000.
still with their calves and females recently separated from
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND THE HUMPBACK effects ofphysical and biological oceanography, result in
WHALE IN ANTARCTIC WATERS. (ABSTRACT) The heterogeneous summerproductivity indifferentparts ofthe
SouthernOceanCetaceanEcosystemProgram(SOCEP)has Southern Ocean. Understanding the role of ecosystem
been operating in Antarctic waters south ofAustralia since processes in humpback whale distribution and movements
mid-1995. It aims to address ecological and management (within and between seasons and years) will allow us to
questionsconcerningcetaceans inthe Southern Ocean, ona determineimportanthabitatsforthisspeciesontheirsouthern
range of ecological scales, using a multispecies, feeding grounds. In future this knowledge may help us to
multidisciplinary,collaborativeapproach.Humpbackwhales assesstheeffectsofenvironmentalchangesontheecosystem
(Megapteranovaeangliae)havelongbeenknowntooccurin ingeneral,andonthewhalesinparticular.
ptahetcahusytraaglgrseugmamteiro.nsSiOnCpEarPtirceusleaarrrcehghiaosnsatotfetmhpeteAdnttaorecxtpilcaiinn EDnevbiorroanhmenTth,ieDleeakainndUnPievteerrsitGyil,l,POScBhooxol423o,fWEacrorlnoagymhaoonld
humpbackandotherbaleenwhaledistribution,byrelatingit 3280; PaulHodda, Australian WhaleConservationSociety-,
tToheusndeearrleyinnogwphsytasritcianlgatondbeeccoolmoegiacpaplapraetntte.rnTsheanadnpnruoaclescsyecsl.e P29OABuoguxst122004060,.Elizabeth Street. Brisbane 4002, Australia;
of spread and retreat of sea ice, combined with complex