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Movements of satellite-monitored humpback whales on their feeding ground along the Antarctic Peninsula

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Abstract

Humpback whales were instrumented with satellite transmitters off the western Antarctic Peninsula in January of 2004–2006 to examine their movement patterns and habitat use. Whales were tracked from 4 to 80 days (mean = 36.5 days). Distance and travel rate estimates for nine individuals ranged from 223 to 4,356 km and from 17 to 75 km/day, respectively. Considerable individual variation was observed in direction, speed and range of movements. The overall pattern was characterized by short- and long-distance movements between presumed foraging areas with relatively short residency times. Travel rates were lower at these sites, characterized by erratic movements, than during traveling between them. Area usage for six individuals based on the 95% fixed kernel home range with least squares cross-validation ranged from 2,771 to 172,356 km2. The management boundary between the feeding grounds associated with Breeding Stocks G and A needs revision, as current available data suggest it should be located to the east of 50°W. This study is the first to present detailed information on the movements of humpback whales in the Southern Ocean.

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Acknowledgments

We are greatly indebted to the crew of the NApOc Ary Rongel and to P. G. Kinas, C. A. E. Garcia and M. M. Mata for giving support to our study. M. Bassoi and A. F. Azevedo assisted in the field. M. V. Jensen conducted tag deployment in 2004. H. Cunha (LBM-UFRJ) and J. W. Gonçalves (LBM-Unisinos) kindly helped with the gender determination. We also thank the administrative assistance from S. C. Moreira and A. Andriolo, and software assistance from A. R. Rodgers. Valuable comments and suggestions to improve this manuscript were provided by D. Thiele and an anonymous reviewer. Funding for the Projeto Baleias/GOAL/Brazilian Antarctic Program was provided by the Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) and the Inter-ministerial Commission for the Resources of the Sea (CIRM). Tags used in 2005 and additional funding for 2006 were acquired through the establishment of a collaborative project with the Projeto de Monitoramento de Baleias por Satélite (PMBS). Funding for PMBS was provided by Shell Brasil S.A. L. Dalla Rosa was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES; Grant BEX1339/02-8).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Projeto Baleias/GOAL/Brazilian Antarctic Program, Laboratório de Mamíferos Marinhos, Museu Oceanográfico “Prof. Eliézer C. Rios”, Fundação Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Cx. Postal 379, Rio Grande, RS, 96200-970, Brazil

    L. Dalla Rosa & E. R. Secchi

  2. Department of Zoology and Marine Mammal Research Unit, University of British Columbia, Room 247, AERL, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    L. Dalla Rosa

  3. Laboratório de Tartarugas e Mamíferos Marinhos/Departamento de Oceanografia, Fundação Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Cx. P. 474, Rio Grande, RS, 96201-900, Brazil

    E. R. Secchi

  4. Projeto Monitoramento de Baleias por Satélite, Instituto Aqualie, Rua Edgard Werneck, 428/32, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22763-010, Brazil

    Y. G. Maia & A. N. Zerbini

  5. National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center/NOAA Fisheries, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98115-6349, USA

    A. N. Zerbini

  6. Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Box 570, 3900, Nuuk, Greenland

    M. P. Heide-Jørgensen

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  1. L. Dalla Rosa
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Correspondence to L. Dalla Rosa.

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Dalla Rosa, L., Secchi, E.R., Maia, Y.G. et al. Movements of satellite-monitored humpback whales on their feeding ground along the Antarctic Peninsula. Polar Biol 31, 771–781 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-008-0415-2

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