scholarly journals Migratory insights from singing humpback whales recorded around central New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 201084
Author(s):  
Victoria E. Warren ◽  
Rochelle Constantine ◽  
Michael Noad ◽  
Claire Garrigue ◽  
Ellen C. Garland
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
East Coast ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Population Connectivity ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Migratory Routes ◽  
Migratory Corridor

The migration routes of wide-ranging species can be difficult to study, particularly at sea. In the western South Pacific, migratory routes of humpback whales between breeding and feeding areas are unclear. Male humpback whales sing a population-specific song, which can be used to match singers on migration to a breeding population. To investigate migratory routes and breeding area connections, passive acoustic recorders were deployed in the central New Zealand migratory corridor (2016); recorded humpback whale song was compared to song from the closest breeding populations of East Australia and New Caledonia (2015–2017). Singing northbound whales migrated past New Zealand from June to August via the east coast of the South Island and Cook Strait. Few song detections were made along the east coast of the North Island. New Zealand song matched New Caledonia song, suggesting a migratory destination, but connectivity to East Australia could not be ruled out. Two song types were present in New Zealand, illustrating the potential for easterly song transmission from East Australia to New Caledonia in this shared migratory corridor. This study enhances our understanding of western South Pacific humpback whale breeding population connectivity, and provides novel insights into the dynamic transmission of song culture.

scholarly journals First assessment of interchange of humpback whales between Oceania and the East coast of Australia

2020 ◽  
pp. 269-274
Author(s):  
Claire Garrigue ◽  
Trish Franklin ◽  
Rochelle Constantine ◽  
Kirsty Russell ◽  
Daniel Burns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
East Coast ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
Individual Identification ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Cook Island ◽  
Breeding Grounds

The interchange of individual humpback whales between the wintering grounds of Oceania (South Pacific) and the east coast of Australia weredocumented by individual identification photographs collected from 1999 to 2004. Interchange was assessed using regional catalogues of flukephotographs, totalling 672 individuals from Oceania (represented by New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Cook Island,French Polynesia and American Samoa) and 1,242 individuals from Hervey Bay and Byron Bay representing the southbound and the northboundmigration along the east coast of Australia (EA). Overall, there were seven documented movements between EA and Oceania. Four instances ofmovement of four individuals were documented between EA and the closest breeding grounds of New Caledonia. A further three movements wererecorded between EA and a small catalogue (n = 13) from the New Zealand migratory corridor. In contrast, during this same period, 20 cases ofinterchange were documented among nine breeding grounds: French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Niue, American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatuand New Caledonia. The low level of interchange between Oceania and the east coast of Australia has important implications for understanding thestock structure and abundance of humpback whales in the South Pacific.

Geograpmc Variation in South Pacific Humpback Whale Songs

Behaviour ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Helweg ◽  
Peter Jenkins ◽  
Douglas Cat ◽  
Robert McCauley ◽  
Claire Garrigue
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Song Sharing ◽  
Eastern Australia

AbstractEvery winter, (male) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) produce long complex songs. Song content is dynamic and singers incorporate changes as they occur, thus song is shared through cultural transmission. We compared songs recorded in winter migratory termini in Tonga, New Caledonia, Eastern Australia, and on migration paths off Eastern Australia and New Zealand, in the winter of 1994. Seven themes were shared by all regions, with an additional two themes shared by all but Tonga. Differences in regional variants were most pronounced between Tongan and Eastern Australian song. New Caledonian and Kaikouran song were more similar to songs from Eastern Australia rather than Tonga. These regional differences were stable across the season. The results suggest some migratory exchange among widely separate wintering regions of Area V, consistent with tag recovery data, but the time and location at which song sharing occurs remains speculative.

scholarly journals Migratory convergence facilitates cultural transmission of humpback whale song

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 190337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Owen ◽  
Luke Rendell ◽  
Rochelle Constantine ◽  
Michael J. Noad ◽  
Jenny Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Wintering Grounds ◽  
Migration Patterns ◽  
Acoustic Contact ◽  
Migratory Routes ◽  
And Migration

Cultural transmission of behaviour is important in a wide variety of vertebrate taxa from birds to humans. Vocal traditions and vocal learning provide a strong foundation for studying culture and its transmission in both humans and cetaceans. Male humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) perform complex, culturally transmitted song displays that can change both evolutionarily (through accumulations of small changes) or revolutionarily (where a population rapidly adopts a novel song). The degree of coordination and conformity underlying song revolutions makes their study of particular interest. Acoustic contact on migratory routes may provide a mechanism for cultural revolutions of song, yet these areas of contact remain uncertain. Here, we compared songs recorded from the Kermadec Islands, a recently discovered migratory stopover, to multiple South Pacific wintering grounds. Similarities in song themes from the Kermadec Islands and multiple wintering locations (from New Caledonia across to the Cook Islands) suggest a location allowing cultural transmission of song eastward across the South Pacific, active song learning (hybrid songs) and the potential for cultural convergence after acoustic isolation at the wintering grounds. As with the correlations in humans between genes, communication and migration, the migration patterns of humpback whales are written into their songs.

Large-scale influence of the New Zealand seafloor topography on western boundary currents of the South Pacific Ocean.

1985 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
RA Heath
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
West Coast ◽  
East Coast ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Current Speed ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
East Australian Current ◽  
South Pacific Ocean ◽  
Tasman Sea

The extensive New Zealand submarine platform lying approximately 1600 km east of Australia has a strong influence on the South Pacific circulation. Together with the Kermadec Ridge, it is the western boundary of the deep South Pacific Ocean with an associated deep western boundary current. Although New Zealand probably influences where the East Australian Current separates from the east Australian coast, at the latitude of northernmost New Zealand, the sloping seafloor on the New Zealand west coast does allow for a meridional flow there. However, the decrease in current speed with depth does decrease the influence of the bottom topography. The net result is that there is both an intensification of the zonal flow across the Tasman Sea at the latitude of northernmost New Zealand, the speed of which is enhanced by the flow over the extensive ridge system, and a general eastwards flow in the Tasman Sea over the latitudinal range of New Zealand, which feeds meridional flows on the New Zealand west coast. It is suggested that the general west to east flow past New Zealand restricts the westward propagation of second- and higher-order baroclinic Rossby waves with the result that, whereas the East Australian Current has rapid near-surface flow which decreases rapidly with depth in the upper 500 m, the surface flow on the east coast of New Zealand is less rapid and decreases more uniformly with depth. One possible consequence of the current speed change with depth is that the flow and eddies on the New Zealand east coast appear to be influenced by the bathymetry whereas the East Australian Current eddies are more a primary component of the current linked to instability in the current system.

South Pacific Commission

1960 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 486-488 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Development ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Program ◽  
The Past ◽  
The United Kingdom

The twentieth session of the South Pacific Commission was held at Commission headquarters in Nouméa, New Caledonia, from October 13 to 23, 1959. It was attended by representatives of the six member nations, Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States; the Chairman was Dean Knowles A. Ryerson, Senior Commissioner for the United States. The meeting studied progress made during the past year by the Commission in its three main fields of work —economic development, health, and social development—and reviewed its work program for 1960.

scholarly journals Reproductive capacity of an endangered and recovering population of humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere

2020 ◽  
Vol 643 ◽  
pp. 219-227
Author(s):  
G Chero ◽  
R Pradel ◽  
S Derville ◽  
C Bonneville ◽  
O Gimenez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Caledonia ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Recovery Potential ◽  
Calving Rate

Estimating demographic parameters is essential to assessing the recovery potential of severely depleted populations of marine mammal species such as the baleen whales, which were decimated by commercial whaling of the past century. The Oceania humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae population is classified as endangered by the IUCN because of low numbers and a slow recovery rate. Nevertheless, an anomalously strong increase has recently been detected in the New Caledonia breeding population. To determine the drivers of population growth, reproductive parameters were estimated for the first time for a humpback whale population of Oceania. Based on an extensive monitoring program (1995-2018), recapture histories were reconstructed for 607 females and incorporated in multi-event capture-recapture models. As the females’ ages were generally unknown (87%), 2 models with contrasting age scenarios were investigated. For females of unknown age, the mature scenario assumed maturity at the first encounter, while the immature scenario assumed immaturity within 7 yr after the first encounter, unless the female was encountered breeding. These models respectively resulted in a calving interval of 1.49 yr (95% CI: 1.21-2.08) or 2.83 yr (95% CI: 2.28-3.56) and a calving rate of 0.67 or 0.35. The relatively high calving rate modelled by the mature model is consistent with high pregnancy rates recently observed in the migratory corridors of the Kermadec Islands and on the feeding grounds of the Antarctic Peninsula. Therefore, our results suggest that the recovery of the New Caledonia humpback whale population from past exploitation may be partially driven by an increased reproductive capacity.

South Pacific Commission

1952 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 152-153
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Training Institution ◽  
The South ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Fiji Islands ◽  
Deputy Chairman

The eighth session of the South Pacific Commission, held at Nouméa, New Caledonia, from October 29 to November 9, 1951, was presided over by R. L. Lassalle-Séré (France). On November 7, 1951, the six participating countries (Australia, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States) signed an agreement extending the scope of the Commission to include Guam and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Other agenda items included consideration of the Commission's work program and budget for 1952. The program, consisting of 39 projects, included ten in the field of health. The Commission discussed the report of the conference of medical experts on filariasis and elephantiasis which was held in Tahiti from August 21 to September 1, 1951, to study current research and control programs for these diseases and to recommend measures for combatting them,2 and decided to appoint an expert to supervise the implementation of these recommendations. The Commission also reviewed the work done in the projects on tuberculosis, nutrition and leprosy. In the economic category, in which there were ten projects, the commission considered plans for a conference of fisheries experts in 1952 and grantsin-aid for the furtherance of work with economic plants. In the field of social development, where nineteen projects were considered, the Commission discussed the preparation of plans for a model vocational training institution; publication of a report on research in social anthropology and a report on a community development project being carried out in the Fiji Islands; continuation of a housing survey; and the work of the South Pacific Literature Bureau. It was decided to appoint E. M. Ojala (New Zealand) deputy chairman of the South Pacific Research Council.

scholarly journals Decolonisation Processes in the South Pacific Islands: A Comparative Analysis between Metropolitan Powers

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 355
Author(s):  
Paul De Deckker
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Free Association ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
The South ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
South Pacific Islands

The South Pacific islands came late, by comparison with Asia and Africa, to undertake the decolonising process. France was the first colonial power in the region to start off this process in accordance with the decision taken in Paris to pave the way to independence for African colonies. The Loi-cadre Defferre in 1957, voted in Parliament, was applied to French Polynesia and New Caledonia as it was to French Africa. Territorial governments were elected in both these Pacific colonies in 1957. They were abolished in 1963 after the return to power of General de Gaulle who decided to use Moruroa for French atomic testing. The status quo ante was then to prevail in New Caledonia and French Polynesia up to today amidst statutory crises. The political evolution of the French Pacific, including Wallis and Futuna, is analysed in this article. Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia were to conform to the 1960 United Nations' recommendations to either decolonise, integrate or provide to Pacific colonies self-government in free association with the metropolitan power. Great Britain granted constitutional independence to all of its colonies in the Pacific except Pitcairn. The facts underlying this drastic move are analysed in the British context of the 1970's, culminating in the difficult independence of Vanuatu in July 1980. New Zealand and Australia followed the UN recommendations and granted independence or self-government to their colonial territories. In the meantime, they reinforced their potential to dominate the South Pacific in the difficult geopolitical context of the 1980s. American Micronesia undertook statutory evolution within a strategic framework. What is at stake today within the Pacific Islands is no longer of a political nature; it is financial.

South Pacific Commission

1961 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 526-528
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
The United States ◽  
The South ◽  
The United Kingdom

The 21st session of the South Pacific Commission was held at Commission headquarters in Nouméa, New Caledonia, from October 13 to 25, 1960. It was attended by representatives from the Commission's six member nations—Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States; the chairman was Mr. Dudley McCarthy, senior commissioner for Australia. The meeting reviewed progress made by the Commission in all its fields of work during the year under consideration and approved plans for its 1961 program.

Recruitment of Packhorse Rock Lobster Jasus verreauxi in New Zealand

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (11) ◽  
pp. 2212-2220 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Booth
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Larval Transport ◽  
Rock Lobster ◽  
The North ◽  
Tasman Sea ◽  
Cook Strait ◽  
Extreme North ◽  
Migratory Pathway

The main breeding population of packhorse rock lobster Jasus verreauxi around mainland New Zealand is in the extreme north, near Cape Reinga. Some larvae from this area (and possibly some from Australia) are carried southeastward in the East Auckland Current along the east coast of North Island, and settlement occurs as far south as Cook Strait. Recapture of tagged animals shows that most juveniles migrate toward Cape Reinga where they mature and breed. The single major breeding population and migratory pathway may mean that the species is particularly vulnerable to overfishing. New Zealand and Australian stocks may be linked by larval transport across the north Tasman Sea.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document