A collaborative and near-comprehensive North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID dataset

Abstract

We present an ocean-basin-scale dataset that includes tail fluke photographic identification (photo-ID) and encounter data for most living individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset was built through a broad collaboration combining 39 separate curated photo-ID catalogs, supplemented with community science data. Data from throughout the North Pacific were aggregated into 13 regions, including six breeding regions, six feeding regions, and one migratory corridor. All images were compared with minimal pre-processing using a recently developed image recognition algorithm based on machine learning through artificial intelligence; this system is capable of rapidly detecting matches between individuals with an estimated 97–99% accuracy. For the 2001–2021 study period, a total of 27,956 unique individuals were documented in 157,350 encounters. Each individual was encountered, on average, in 5.6 sampling periods (i.e., breeding and feeding seasons), with an annual average of 87% of whales encountered in more than one season. The combined dataset and image recognition tool represents a living and accessible resource for collaborative, basin-wide studies of a keystone marine mammal in a time of rapid ecological change.

Bellwethers of change: population modelling of North Pacific humpback whales from 2002 through 2021 reveals shift from recovery to climate response

“…For this study, all available North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID data from a research collaboration of 46 organizations and 4292 community science contributors were aggregated within a study period of 2001 through 2022, and reconciled in a single dataset through the research collaboration and community science Web platform Happywhale.com. This dataset is fully described by Cheeseman et al [18]. Photo-ID data for the purpose of this study consisted of encounters of individually identified whales, with associated dates and geographical locations.…”

“…Furthermore, the infrequent generation of updated population estimates may fail to capture rapid changes in whale populations due to anthropogenic disturbances or environmental fluctuations [ 17 ]. To address these challenges, we have drawn on an innovative ocean-basin-wide collaboration [ 18 ] to cost-effectively generate a time series of relatively precise abundance estimates for a long-distance migrating species, the humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) in the North Pacific Ocean.…”

“…Our current study builds on past photo-identification (photo-ID) efforts mentioned above, incorporating the historical data gathered in those studies, combined with long-term region-specific photo-ID efforts, and making broader use of opportunistic sources, especially whale watch voyage naturalists. The sheer scale of data now available is due to advances in automated image recognition fluke photo-ID matching [ 44 ], data management and research collaboration [ 18 ]. These advances have shifted the abundance estimation paradigm from data scarcity and periodic study to continuous and accessible tracking of the ocean-basin-wide population through time.…”

“…These advances have shifted the abundance estimation paradigm from data scarcity and periodic study to continuous and accessible tracking of the ocean-basin-wide population through time. Given that no single research group's data archive or effort could scale and maintain what would be necessary for such an ongoing study, we combined research-based and community science data in a broad collaboration facilitated by the data management Web platform Happywhale.com [ 18 ]. Where data deficiency previously imposed limits on understanding, this study used a near-real-time population modelling infrastructure and with this, we aimed to evaluate population change with a robust time series of 20 annual abundance estimates from 2002 to 2021.…”

Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding ground

“…In the North Pacific, humpback whales migrate annually between highlatitude summer feeding grounds along the Northern Pacific rim from Russia, through the Aleutian Islands, the Bering Sea, Alaska, Northern British Columbia, to the Northern US West Coast, and low latitude winter breeding areas including Japan, the Philippines, Hawai'i, Mexico and Central America [47][48][49][50][51]. The Hawaiian archipelago is considered the principal breeding area for the North Pacific metapopulation, with more than 10 000 whales visiting the island chain every year [47,52]. The arrival and departure of humpback whales in Hawai'i is staggered and segregated by age-class, sex and reproductive condition [53], with peak abundance in the islands typically occurring in February and March [54,55].…”