Ventilation and dive patterns of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, on their Alaskan feeding grounds

Noncalf humpback whales in Frederick Sound, Alaska, were tracked for periods of up to 12.5 h during July through September 1982, 1983, and 1984. Ventilation and dive patterns in presumably undisturbed humpback whales were characterized for six behaviors. Humpbacks appeared to restrict their dives to 150 m and rarely exceeded depths of 120 m, as determined by echo sounder tracings. Duration of dives and surfacings, number of blows per surfacing, and mean blow interval were positively correlated with the depth to which whales dived. Ventilation and dive variable values were significantly elevated in 1983 relative to 1982 and 1984. This was likely due to an increase in the depth of available prey during the 1983 season. The depth to which a feeding whale dove could be related to the depth of the target prey patch with greater than 84% accuracy based upon ventilation and dive variables.

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Sex differences in site fidelity and migration of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to the Hawaiian Islands

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z97-822 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 75 (11) ◽

pp. 1923-1933 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Alison S. Craig ◽

Louis M. Herman

Keyword(s):

Site Fidelity ◽

Hawaiian Islands ◽

High Energy ◽

Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Low Latitude ◽

Wintering Area ◽

The Mean ◽

And Migration ◽

Feeding Grounds

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) perform extensive seasonal migrations between high-latitude summer feeding grounds and low-latitude winter reproductive grounds. To investigate gender-related site fidelity to the Hawaiian Islands, an important wintering area for North Pacific humpback whales, photographically based resight histories of 224 females and 416 males observed in Hawai'i from 1976 through 1991 were compiled. Results indicated that the mean number of years in which they were seen was higher for males than for females, that the probability of an individual being resighted across years was higher for males than for females, and that more males than females were seen in consecutive years. Potential sources of bias favoring the photographic capture of males were considered, but none were judged to be significant contributors to the results obtained. It was proposed instead that not all females undertake or complete the migration to the winter grounds each year. Because of the high energy costs of migration and reproduction, some females may overwinter in high latitudes, while others may become pregnant en route to the area traditionally associated with breeding and return to the feeding grounds before arriving at the terminal winter destination.

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The diets of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the shelf and oceanic feeding grounds in the western North Pacific inferred from stable isotope analysis

Marine Mammal Science ◽

10.1111/j.1748-7692.2012.00617.x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. E253-E265 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Olga A. Filatova ◽

Briana H. Witteveen ◽

Anton A. Goncharov ◽

Alexei V. Tiunov ◽

Maria I. Goncharova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stable Isotope Analysis ◽

North Pacific ◽

Western North Pacific ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Feeding Grounds

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First evidence of interchange of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) between the Magellan Strait and Antarctic Peninsula feeding grounds

Polar Biology ◽

10.1007/s00300-021-02827-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 613-619

Author(s):

Jorge Acevedo ◽

Juan Capella ◽

Ted Cheeseman ◽

Cole C. Monnahan ◽

Ken Southerland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antarctic Peninsula ◽

Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Magellan Strait ◽

Feeding Grounds

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

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2013-0161 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 92 (1) ◽

pp. 9-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

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.

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Sudden seasonal occurrence of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in the Firth of Forth, Scotland and first confirmed movement between high-latitude feeding grounds and United Kingdom waters

Marine Biodiversity Records ◽

10.1186/s41200-019-0172-7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Katie E. O’Neil ◽

Emily G. Cunningham ◽

Daniel M. Moore

Keyword(s):

United Kingdom ◽

High Latitude ◽

Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽

Seasonal Occurrence ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Firth Of Forth ◽

Feeding Grounds

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Use of social sounds by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Western Antarctic Peninsula feeding grounds

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America ◽

10.1121/1.4755302 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 132 (3) ◽

pp. 1979-1979

Author(s):

Michelle Klein ◽

Douglas Nowacek

Keyword(s):

Antarctic Peninsula ◽

Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Western Antarctic Peninsula ◽

Feeding Grounds

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Foraging dive patterns of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, in southeast Alaska: a cost–benefit analysis

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z88-360 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 66 (11) ◽

pp. 2432-2441 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

William Ford Dolphin

Keyword(s):

Cost Benefit Analysis ◽

Dominant Role ◽

Accurate Determination ◽

Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Energy Costs ◽

Southeast Alaska ◽

Prey Patch ◽

Underwater Cameras ◽

Time And Energy

The foraging behavior of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) summering in southeast Alaska was studied from 1979 to 1984 using surface observations, a 120-kHz echo sounder, and remotely operated underwater cameras. Considerations of foraging costs as well as profits appear to play a dominant role in determining feeding dive patterns of the whales. The energy costs of diving, based on observed blow rates, estimated tidal volume, and O2 extraction efficiency, have previously been shown to increase with increasing depth of dive during foraging episodes. Time spent diving into and returning from a prey patch, and time spent at the surface recovering from a dive represent the time costs of foraging. The percentage of time available for actual capture of prey decreased with increasing depth of dive. Thus, time and energy costs were highly correlated with the depth of the target prey patch. In conjunction with acoustic scans, the underwater cameras made possible the accurate determination of potential prey patch depths, densities, and vertical extent. Prey patches were ranked using a derived weighted density value and associated time and energy expenditure required of the whales to feed upon the patch (viz., gain–cost representation). Foraging models incorporating prey patch density value and time and energy costs of diving resulted in the best fit when compared with observed foraging patterns of the humpback whales.

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The Influence of Maternal Lineages on Social Affiliations among Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on Their Feeding Grounds in the Southern Gulf of Maine

Journal of Heredity ◽

10.1093/jhered/esj018 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 97 (3) ◽

pp. 226-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Mason T. Weinrich ◽

Howard Rosenbaum ◽

C Scott Baker ◽

Alexis L. Blackmer ◽

Hal Whitehead

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Maine ◽

Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Social Affiliations ◽

Feeding Grounds

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First analysis of behavioural responses of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to two acoustic alarms in a northern feeding ground off Iceland

10.1101/741553 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Charla J. Basran ◽

Benno Woelfing ◽

Charlotte Neumann ◽

Marianne H. Rasmussen

Keyword(s):

Swimming Speed ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Mixed Effects ◽

Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽

Mixed Effects Models ◽

Humpback Whales ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Linear Mixed Effects Models ◽

Linear Mixed Effects ◽

Feeding Grounds

AbstractMitigating cetacean entanglement in fishing industries is of global interest. Strategies include the use of acoustic alarms to warn whales of fishing gear. For baleen whales, responses to acoustic alarms are poorly understood. This behavioural response study compared the behaviour of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in their feeding grounds off Iceland prior to, during, and after exposure to a low-frequency whale pinger (Future Oceans) and a high-frequency seal scarer (Lofitech ltd.). Linear mixed effects models and binary generalized linear mixed effects models were used to analyze the effect of the alarms on surface feeding, swimming speed, breathing rate, directness and dive time. We observed a significant decrease in surface feeding and a significant increase in swimming speed during exposure to the whale pinger. Changes in dive time between the phases of a trial differed significantly between individuals indicating that responses may depend on individual or behavioural state. We did not find any significant reactions in response to the seal scarer. In addition to the experimental exposures, a trial of whale pingers on a capelin purse seine net was conducted. Results from this trial showed that whales entered the net from the bottom while the pingers were attached at the top, but the encircled whales were able to locate an opening free of pingers and escape without damaging the net. Our results suggest that whale pingers may be a useful entanglement mitigation tool in humpback whale feeding grounds given that a reduction in feeding around nets likely reduces the risk of whales swimming through them. Pingers may also minimize net damage if whales are encircled by aiding the whales in finding their way out. However, given the uncertain long-term consequences of the behavioural changes reported here, whale pingers are most advisable for short-term use in conjunction with other entanglement mitigation measures.

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