scholarly journals Foraging areas, migratory movements and winter destinations of blue whales from the western North Atlantic

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 27-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Lesage ◽  
K Gavrilchuk ◽  
RD Andrews ◽  
R Sears
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Migratory Movements ◽  
Blue Whales

scholarly journals A note on the distribution and abundance of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in the Central and Northeast North Atlantic

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel G Pike ◽  
Gísli A Víkingsson ◽  
Thorvaldur Gunnlaugsson ◽  
Nils Øien
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Standard Line ◽  
Balaenoptera Musculus ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Detection Function ◽  
Significant Positive Trend ◽  
Northeast Atlantic ◽  
Blue Whales

The distribution and abundance of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) was assessed from ship surveys conducted in the Central and Northeast Atlantic in 1987, 1989, 1995 and 2001. Blue whales were most commonly sighted off western Iceland, and to a lesser extent northeast of Iceland. They were very rare or absent in the Northeast Atlantic. Sightings were combined over all surveys to estimate the detection function using standard line transect methodology, with the addition of a covariate to account for differences between surveys. Total abundance was highest in 1995 (979, 95% CI 137-2,542) and lowest in 1987 (222, 95% CI 115-440). Uncertainty in species identity had little effect on estimates of abundance. There was a significant positive trend in abundance northeast of Iceland and in the total survey area.

Opportunistic sightings of blue whales off Sydney, Australia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Pirotta ◽  
Robert Harcourt
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
New South ◽  
Short Note ◽  
Balaenoptera Musculus ◽  
Blue Whale ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Tasman Sea ◽  
Migratory Movements ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Blue Whales

ABSTRACT Two subspecies of blue whale occur in Australian waters, (1) the pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) and (2) the Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia). Understanding blue whale presence in Australian waters is critical to ensuring Australia’s protection of these marine mammals as both subspecies were heavily exploited during historical whaling. This short note documents pygmy blue whale sightings in New South Wales waters over the last 18 years. Observations were opportunistically made via citizen science and verified by scientists. Sightings in this note contribute to our limited knowledge of pygmy blue whale distribution along the east coast of Australia and may help understand the migratory movements of New Zealand pygmy blue whales off Australia and in the Tasman Sea. Overall, information presented in this note contributes to Australia’s national and international conservation efforts to protecting blue whales as a migratory and threatened species.

Foraging energetics and prey density requirements of western North Atlantic blue whales in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 625 ◽  
pp. 205-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Guilpin ◽  
V Lesage ◽  
I McQuinn ◽  
JA Goldbogen ◽  
J Potvin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Prey Density ◽  
Foraging Energetics ◽  
Blue Whales

scholarly journals Temporal Variability of Cetaceans near Halifax, Nova Scotia

2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Simard ◽  
Jennifer L. Lawlor ◽  
Shannon Gowans
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Eubalaena Glacialis ◽  
Balaenoptera Acutorostrata ◽  
Minke Whales ◽  
North Atlantic Right Whales ◽  
Early Fall ◽  
Large Groups ◽  
Blue Whales

Annual and seasonal trends in sightings of coastal cetaceans near Halifax, Nova Scotia, were studied using observations from whale watching and dedicated research vessels from late spring to early fall of 1996 to 2005. Four species of cetaceans routinely used the area during the summer: White-beaked and Atlantic White-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris and L. acutus), Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), and Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). The dolphin species were temporally separated, with White-beaked Dolphins being common earlier in the summer than White-sided Dolphins. White-sided Dolphins were unusually abundant in 1997, and were found in larger groups (mean = 46.5 ± 46.19 sd) than Whitebeaked Dolphins (mean = 9.1 ± 5.19 SD). The area also appears to be an important habitat for dolphin calves and juveniles of both species. Fin Whales (B. physalus) were commonly observed in relatively large groups in 1997, but were uncommon or absent in other years. Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), Blue Whales (B. musculus) and North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) were uncommon in the area, although Humpback Whales were sighted frequently in 1997. Increased numbers of White-sided Dolphins, Fin and Humpback whales in 1997 may be explained by increased prey abundance and decreased sea-surface temperatures.

scholarly journals Stable isotopes reveal winter feeding in different habitats in blue, fin and sei whales migrating through the Azores

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 181800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica A. Silva ◽  
Asunción Borrell ◽  
Rui Prieto ◽  
Pauline Gauffier ◽  
Martine Bérubé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Mixing Models ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
Fin Whale ◽  
The North ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Migratory Movements ◽  
Winter Feeding

Knowing the migratory movements and behaviour of baleen whales is fundamental to understanding their ecology. We compared δ 15 N and δ 13 C values in the skin of blue ( Balaenoptera musculus ), fin ( Balaenoptera physalus ) and sei ( Balaenoptera borealis ) whales sighted in the Azores in spring with the values of potential prey from different regions within the North Atlantic using Bayesian mixing models to investigate their trophic ecology and migration patterns. Fin whale δ 15 N values were higher than those recorded in blue and sei whales, reflecting feeding at higher trophic levels. Whales' skin δ 15 N and δ 13 C values did not reflect prey from high-latitude summer foraging grounds; instead mixing models identified tropical or subtropical regions as the most likely feeding areas for all species during winter and spring. Yet, differences in δ 13 C values among whale species suggest use of different regions within this range. Blue and sei whales primarily used resources from the Northwest African upwelling and pelagic tropical/subtropical regions, while fin whales fed off Iberia. However, determining feeding habitats from stable isotope values remains difficult. In conclusion, winter feeding appears common among North Atlantic blue, fin and sei whales, and may play a crucial role in determining their winter distribution. A better understanding of winter feeding behaviour is therefore fundamental for the effective conservation of these species.

scholarly journals Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus musculus) genome: population structure and history in the North Atlantic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sushma Jossey ◽  
Oliver Haddrath ◽  
Livia Loureiro ◽  
Burton Lim ◽  
Jacqueline Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Population Structure ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Balaenoptera Musculus ◽  
Blue Whale ◽  
Genetic Diversity And Structure ◽  
Population Structuring ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blue Whales

Knowledge of genetic diversity and structure is essential for developing conservation strategies for endangered species. The advances in museum genomics can assist in better understanding the effects of over-hunting on the genome by comparing historical to present-day samples. Blue whales were hunted to the point of near extinction in the mid-twentieth century. Herein, we use whole genome sequencing to elucidate the poorly understood population structure of North Atlantic (NA) blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus musculus). We generated a de novo genome assembly of 2.49 Mbp for a NA blue whale (N50 of 1.46 Mb) to analyze 19 whole genomic sequences and 28 complete mitochondrial genomes. We included present-day and historical samples (earliest from 1900) from the Atlantic and Antarctica to understand the impact of whaling on the genetic diversity. We found low population structuring, but high genetic diversity, suggesting a single, panmictic population in the NA. We identified gene flow from fin whale to blue whales, accounting for ~3.5% of the genome. Introgression between blue and fin whales was observed in all the present-day samples but were lacking in some whales sampled early in the 20th century, which suggests increasing disruption in mate choice concomitant with decline in blue whale population. We also assembled and analyzed the transcriptome and revealed positive selection of oncogenes, which may be involved in reduced cancer rates in this largest of mammals ever known. Our sequencing and population structuring studies provide a genomic framework to guide ongoing conservation strategies for this iconic species.

scholarly journals Migratory Movements of Pygmy Blue Whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) between Australia and Indonesia as Revealed by Satellite Telemetry

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e93578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Double ◽  
Virginia Andrews-Goff ◽  
K. Curt S. Jenner ◽  
Micheline-Nicole Jenner ◽  
Sarah M. Laverick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Balaenoptera Musculus ◽  
Migratory Movements ◽  
Blue Whales

scholarly journals HISTORICAL OBSERVATIONS OF HUMPBACK AND BLUE WHALES IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN: CLUES TO MIGRATORY ROUTES AND POSSIBLY ADDITIONAL FEEDING GROUNDS

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 774-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall R. Reeves ◽  
Tim D. Smith ◽  
Elizabeth A. Josephson ◽  
Phillip J. Clapham ◽  
Gillian Woolmer
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
Migratory Routes ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Blue Whales ◽  
Feeding Grounds

The Atmospheric Response to North Atlantic SST Trends, 1870–2019

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristopher B. Karnauskas ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Dillon J. Amaya
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Atmospheric Response
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document