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

Winn, Howard E.; Edel, R. K.; Taruski, A. G.

doi:10.1139/f75-061

Cited by 70 publications

(68 citation statements)

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“…While most individuals maintain a neritic distribution in waters < 200 m in depth, mother-calf pairs prefer shallower waters close to shore (Félix & Haase 2005, Flórez-González et al 2007, Rasmussen et al 2007), similar to that found in other breeding areas (e.g. Dawbin 1966, Winn et al 1975, Glockner & Venus 1983, Smultea 1994, Ersts & Rosenbaum 2003, Morete et al 2007. It is unclear, however, what social and environmental conditions motivate the segregation of females and calves within the shallowest zones of their winter distribution, but it may be in response to ecological and social pressures such as predation risk (Chittleborough 1953, Herman & Antinoja 1977, harassment by males (Chittleborough 1958, Smultea 1994, Craig et al 2002, Cartwright & Sullivan 2009 and energy conservation (Whitehead & Moore 1982, Elwen & Best 2004.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…In contrast to the Hawaiian Islands archipelago, where mother-calf pairs enter into deeper waters when moving widely between islands (Cerchio et al 1998, Darling 2001, in the southeast Pacific femalecalf pairs can move continuously along continental shallow zones. Conversely, in the Caribbean, the breeding population is concentrated in 2 shallow areas, the Silver and Navidad banks (Winn et al 1975), and in Brazil in the Abrolhos Archipelago where the maximum water depth is 20 m (Morete et al 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Distribution and behaviour of humpback whale mother–calf pairs during the breeding season off Ecuador

Félix¹,

Botero‐Acosta²

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Data on distribution and behaviour of mother-calf pairs of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae obtained during the breeding season (June to October) off Ecuador were analysed. The study was carried out between 2001 and 2009 aboard whale-watching boats. A total of 187 groups containing mother-calf pairs were recorded: 124 pairs alone (MC), 44 with an escort whale (MCE) and 18 with 2 or more whales (MC + n). Five environmental variables were used to assess mother-calf distribution with a principal component analysis (PCA). Two variables, depth and time of day, were sufficient to explain heterogeneity. Average depths increased significantly with group size from MC to MC + n groups (p < 0.001), showing that mother-calf social condition would be a function of the depth at which they moved. MC groups were distributed in shallower waters during afternoon hours (p = 0.035), indicating a preference for shelter areas when sea conditions worsened. The proportion of the 3 female-calf group classes remained fairly constant during the season. In 2 MCE groups, the same escort accompanied the pair after 1 and 4 d, indicating some level of stability and/or guarding behaviour. Twenty resightings of 14 different mother-calf groups were recorded, 90% of resightings occurred within 10 d, showing low site fidelity. In coastal waters, a lower proportion of mother-calf pairs was associated with competitive groups than in other breeding areas located in oceanic archipelagos. This is probably because whales breeding in continental shores do not have to enter oceanic waters when moving between sites within the breeding area. Coastal distribution exposes mother-calf pairs to a greater extent than other age classes to anthropogenic activities in coastal waters, which must be taken into account when considering coastal management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and behaviour of humpback whale mother–calf pairs during the breeding season off Ecuador

Félix¹,

Botero‐Acosta²

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…As a result, acoustic techniques can augment visual surveys by providing methods for detection and identification of cetaceans when they are likely to be missed by visual observers. The use of acoustic techniques to complement visual efforts has increased rates and distances of detection for several cetacean species, including: humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae, Winn et al 1975), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus, Leaper et al 1992), blue and fin whales (Balaenoptera mzlsculus and B. physalus, Clark and Fristrup 1997), bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus, Clark and Ellison 2OOO), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba, Gordon et al 2000), and other delphinids (Thomas et al 1986). While the use of acoustic techniques to detect marine mammals is becoming an increasingly common element of shipboard surveys, acoustic species identification has, until recently, received less attention (Steiner 1981, Potter et al 1994, Schultz and Corkeron 1994, Wang et al 1995, Mellinger and Clark 2000.…”

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confidence: 99%

Acoustic identification of nine delphinid species in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

Oswald

Barlow

Norris

2000

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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Acoustic techniques have the potential to increase the reliability of cetacean species identification during shipboard surveys. The whistles of nine odontocete species were compared using data collected from a towed array and sonobuoys deployed during dolphin abundance surveys in the eastern tropical Pacific. Twelve variables were measured manually from spectrographic displays of each whistle (n=912). Multivariate discriminant function analysis (DFA) resulted in 49.9% of whistles being classified to the correct species. It was hypothesized that some whistles carry less species-specific information than others, therefore, groups of five whistles were averaged to reduce the effect of these ambiguous whistles. Correct classification increased to 65.4% when DFA was run on the averaged data set. A species identification decision tree that used 7 of the 12 whistle variables was constructed using nonparametric techniques (classification and regression trees) and resulted in 53.1% correct classification when applied to the original data set. Prior probabilities were added to the decision tree based on sighting rates for each species in the study area, resulting in 56.7% correct classification. The species identification decision tree provides a relatively simple acoustic method that can be used to augment conventional visual techniques.

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Section: Humpback Whale Megaptera Novaeangliaementioning

confidence: 99%

“…During winter, most of the North Atlantic population is believed to migrate south to calving grounds in the West Indies (Winn et al, 1975;Whitehead and Moore, 1982;Stevick et al, 1998;Smith et al, 1999). Most humpbacks are found in this region from January through March, with some animals arriving as early as November and a few remaining in the area until June (Erdman et al, 1973;Winn et al, 1975; Katona and Beard, 1991;Reeves et al, 2001). Humpback whales in the northeastern Caribbean Sea are primarily found off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic on Silver and Navidad Banks (Winn et al, 1975; Mattila et al, 1989) and in Samana Bay (Mattila et al, 1994), as well as on the Virgin and Anguilla Banks of the eastern Leeward Islands (Mattila and Clapham, 1989) and in the Mona Passage off western Puerto Rico (Mignucci-Giannoni, 1998;Sanders et al, 2005).…”

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confidence: 99%

A review of marine mammal records of Cuba

Whitt¹,

Jefferson

Blanco³

et al. 2014

Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Mamm.

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There has been very little research on marine mammals in Cuban waters. Much of the information on marine mammals in this region is buried in historical and gray literature. In order to provide a comprehensive account of marine mammal occurrence in Cuba's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), we reviewed and verified 659 published and unpublished sighting, stranding, capture, and tagging records. Eighteen extant species and four genera have confirmed records for Cuban EEZ waters. This includes 17 species of cetaceans (three baleen whales and 14 toothed whales) and one sirenian species. An additional 11 cetacean species and one extant pinniped species have been reported, but not confirmed, or may have the potential to occur in Cuban waters. Historical records of the Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis) are documented in Cuba; however, this species is now considered extinct. The only two species that are seen regularly and considered common in Cuban nearshore waters are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). Resumen:No hay mucha investigación sobre el tema de los mamíferos marinos en aguas cubanas. La mayoría de la información se encuentra enterrada en la literatura histórica y gris. A fin de proporcionar un informe completo de la presencia de mamíferos marinos en la Zona Económica Exclusiva (ZEE) de Cuba, hemos revisado y verificado 659 registros publicados y no publicados de avistamientos, varamientos, capturas y marcajes. Dieciocho especies existentes y cuatro géneros tienen registros confirmados para las aguas de la ZEE cubana. Esto incluye 17 especies de cetáceos (tres ballenas barbadas y 14 odontocetos) y una especie de sirenio. También se han reportado sin confirmar, o tienen el potencial de presentarse en aguas cubanas, 11 especies de cetáceos y una especie de pinnípedo. Existen registros históricos de la foca monje del Caribe (Monachus tropicalis) en Cuba, sin embargo esta especie se considera extinta. Las únicas dos especies que se ven regularmente y se consideran comunes en las aguas costeras de Cuba son el tursión (Tursiops truncatus) y el manatí antillano (Trichechus manatus). Ar t i c l e in f o Manuscript type IntroduccionMarine mammal occurrence is not well documented for Cuban waters. Although historical accounts are summarized in the older literature (e.g. Cuní, 1918; Aguayo, 1954), no recent comprehensive account of marine mammals of Cuba exists. Most records are based on historical accounts and gray literature; therefore, verification of records is often difficult. Very few surveys of marine mammals have been conducted in this region of the Caribbean Sea. Most of what is known about marine mammals in Cuban waters comes from stranding and/ or capture information from local fishermen. Although these types of records are useful for identifying species presence, they do not provide adequate information on species abundance and distribution which can be estimated from systematic surveys. Abundance information is particularly impor...

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

Cited by 70 publications

References 0 publications

Distribution and behaviour of humpback whale mother–calf pairs during the breeding season off Ecuador

Distribution and behaviour of humpback whale mother–calf pairs during the breeding season off Ecuador

Acoustic identification of nine delphinid species in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

A review of marine mammal records of Cuba

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