Abundance and Distribution of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in West Greenland Waters

1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith S. Perkins ◽  
Kenneth C. Balcomb III ◽  
George Nichols Jr. ◽  
Marisa DeAvilla
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
The West ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
West Greenland ◽  
Abundance And Distribution

Using photoidentification of individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and mark–recapture calculations in 1981 (mark) and 1982 (recapture), the population of this species that occurs in summer along the West Greenland coast between 63 and 70°N was estimated to be less than 200 whales. Whale distribution, however, was not random. Humpbacks were found clustered on Fyllas Banke (Godthaab District) during July and August in both years. Only a few individuals were scattered within a 240-km radius of this location. No West Greenland humpbacks have been seen in other known western North Atlantic feeding areas and vice versa.

Population Estimate of the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the West Indies by Visual and Acoustic Techniques

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Winn ◽  
R. K. Edel ◽  
A. G. Taruski
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
New Method ◽  
Population Estimate ◽  
The West ◽  
Acoustic Techniques

Visual track census and a new method, acoustic counting, were used to estimate the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population in the West Indies. Results produced by the two methods differed to some extent. The average or best estimate was 1018 whales with a range of 785–1157. Silver and Navidad banks, containing approximately 85% of the total population, are presently the major nursery grounds in the West Indies. The humpback whale population in the western North Atlantic has increased since the early part of the century.

scholarly journals Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) observations in Laskeek Bay, western Hecate Strait, in spring and early summer, 1990–2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-269
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Gaston ◽  
Neil G. Pilgrim ◽  
Vivian Pattison
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
The West ◽  
Peak Period ◽  
West Side

We describe observations of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) made along the west side of central Hecate Strait, British Columbia, during the spring and summer of 1990–2018. From none in March, the frequency of sightings increased from early April to a peak in May, then fell in June with few in July. The frequency of sightings during the peak period (1 May–20 June) increased over the course of the study at a mean rate of 6% a year, similar to increases recorded elsewhere in British Columbian waters. The frequency of sightings was highest in years when the Oceanic Niño Index for January–March was low and peaked earlier in years when the Oceanic Niño Index was high. Both of these relationships suggest a connection between Humpback Whale sightings in western Hecate Strait and the larger oceanographic context, with sightings more frequent in years of lower water temperatures.

scholarly journals Segregation of migration by feeding ground origin in North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)

2003 ◽  
Vol 259 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter T. Stevick ◽  
Judith Allen ◽  
Martine Bérubé ◽  
Phillip J. Clapham ◽  
Steven K. Katona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Feeding Ground

North Atlantic humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) hotspots defined by bathymetric features off western Puerto Rico

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (7) ◽  
pp. 517-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.M. MacKay ◽  
B. Würsig ◽  
C.E. Bacon ◽  
J.D. Selwyn
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Shelf Edge ◽  
Species List ◽  
Occurrence Patterns ◽  
Potential Interactions

North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)) are increasing in number, necessitating current data from winter areas for assessing potential interactions with humans. Occurrence patterns of humpback whales wintering off Puerto Rico were investigated to predict where whales aggregate in nearshore areas. Here we describe the relationship between group associations of humpback whales and bathymetric features off western Puerto Rico. Data were collected from 2011 to 2014. Effort consisted of 240.9 vessel h, 13.0 aerial h, and 303.6 h of land observations conducted over 165 days. A total of 197 humpback whale groups were observed with n = 331 individuals: 91 (46.2%) singletons, 67 (34%) dyads, 17 (8.6%) mother–calf pairs, 8 (4.1%) competitive groups, 8 (4.1%) mother–calf–escort groups, and 6 (3.1%) mixed-species associations. A linear regression model supported that group composition correlated with hotspots associated with four bathymetric features. Dyads and competitive groups were dispersed among features in deeper water. Singletons were observed farther from a shelf edge, whereas singing males were closely associated with a shelf edge. Mother–calf pairs occurred nearshore in shallow water; however, when mother–calf pairs were sighted with an escort, they were offshore. This study is especially important ahead of possible removal from the Endangered Species list.

Local and migratory movements of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) satellite-tracked in the North Atlantic Ocean

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.S. Kennedy ◽  
A.N. Zerbini ◽  
O.V. Vásquez ◽  
N. Gandilhon ◽  
P.J. Clapham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
The North ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Multiple Feeding ◽  
Feeding Grounds

North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)) migrate from high-latitude summer feeding grounds to low-latitude winter breeding grounds along the Antillean Island chain. In the winters and springs of 2008 through 2012, satellite tags were deployed on humpback whales on Silver Bank (Dominican Republic) and in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) breeding areas. Whales were monitored, on average, for 26 days (range = 4–90 days). Some animals remained near their tagging location for multiple days before beginning their northerly migration, yet some visited habitats along the northwestern coast of the Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, the Turks and Caicos islands, and off Anguilla. Individuals monitored during migration headed towards feeding grounds in the Gulf of Maine (USA), Canada, and the eastern North Atlantic (Iceland or Norway). One individual traveled near Bermuda during the migration. This study provides the first detailed description of routes used by North Atlantic humpback whales towards multiple feeding destinations. Additionally, it corroborates previous research showing that individuals from multiple feeding grounds migrate to the Antilles for the breeding season. This study indicates that North Atlantic humpbacks use an area broader than the existing boundaries of marine mammal sanctuaries, which should provide justification for their expansion.

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off the west coast of Greenland

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 2921-2930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith S. Perkins ◽  
Peter J. Bryant ◽  
George Nichols ◽  
Donald R. Patten
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
The West ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
West Greenland ◽  
Census Methods ◽  
Summer Range ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Lunge Feeding

An assessment of humpback whales off west Greenland during July and August 1981 was made by fluke photoidentification and strip census methods, in order to determine whether these animals constitute a separate stock or an extended summer range of a stock already identified in the northwest Atlantic. Of 25 individuals sighted, 13 flukes were photographed. None matched whales previously identified in northern feeding areas, but one matched a whale photographed on Silver Bank just north of Hispaniola in the Caribbean in February 1981. Thirty-seven humpbacks were photographed later along the Labrador–Newfoundland coasts. Six of these whales (16%) matched individuals previously identified in the northwest Atlantic. West Greenland humpbacks were not evenly spaced, but were concentrated over the edges of offshore banks. Distribution was unrelated to zooplankton densities, but was positively correlated with large flocks of greater shearwaters. These findings, together with two observations of lunge feeding, confirmed that the humpbacks were eating small fish, probably Ammodytes sp. Our results suggest the possibility of a discrete feeding stock of humpbacks, probably numbering less than 200 whales, off west Greenland which, like other feeding stocks in the northwest Atlantic, breed and calve on Silver and Navidad banks in winter.

scholarly journals Earlier Sightings of Humpback Whales in Antarctica

Oryx ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 430-430
Author(s):  
Peter Kinnear
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
The West ◽  
British Antarctic Survey ◽  
The Antarctic

Nigel Bonner has documented sightings of humpbacks Megaptera novaeangliae off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula which seem to indicate some recovery of stocks (Oryx 16, 3: 231–232). It may therefore be worth placing on record the following sightings of this species made from Argentine Islands for 1970/72, when I was stationed at the British Antarctic Survey base.

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