Search

Effective conservation of the endangered North Atlantic humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) which breeds in the eastern North Atlantic around the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa requires information about their spatio-temporal distribution, population size, and migratory patterns. Understanding temporal distribution is particularly important as annually only a portion of this population migrates between high-latitude summer feeding grounds and their breeding grounds. During the winter/spring months between 1990 and 2018, we conducted cetacean surveys targeting humpback whales. Survey periods varied from 30 to 90 days in duration. Collectively, we obtained fluke photographs from 267 individually recognizable humpback whales from this region. These fluke photographs have been compared and included in the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue which has nearly 11,000 individual flukes photographed from throughout the North Atlantic. Photo-identified individuals from the Cape Verde Islands population have been previously photographed/recaptured on high-latitude feeding grounds in northern Norway (including the Barents Sea and Svalbard archipelago), Iceland, Azores, Tenerife, Canary Islands, and Guadeloupe (southeast Caribbean). Those whales resighted off Azores and the Canary Islands were most often observed in May/June and were presumably en route to their northern feeding grounds. The largest number of recaptures from high-latitude feeding grounds were 44 individual humpbacks (44/267 = 16.4%) identified in both Cape Verdean and Norwegian waters. Twelve humpbacks (12/267 = 4.5%) were identified in the Cape Verde Islands and Iceland. Based on photo-identification of humpbacks in the Cape Verde Islands, we report a high inter-annual resighting rate with 131 whales observed in more than one year (131/267 = 49.1%). While this is partly due to high probability of detection in a small population, these results nonetheless also suggest strong site fidelity to this breeding ground. The estimated total number of individual whales occurring in this eastern North Atlantic breeding area between 2010 and 2018 was 272 (SE 10). yes

Knowledge on the ecology of humpback whales in the eastern North Atlantic is lacking by comparison with most other ocean basins. Humpback whales were historically over-exploited in the region and are still found in low relative abundances. This, coupled with their large range makes them difficult to study. With the aim of informing more effective conservation measures in Ireland, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group began recording sightings and images suitable for photo-identification of humpback whales from Irish waters in 1999. Validated records submitted by members of the public and data from dedicated surveys were analysed to form a longitudinal study of individually recognizable humpback whales. The distribution, relative abundance and seasonality of humpback whale sighting records are presented, revealing discrete important areas for humpback whales in Irish coastal waters. An annual easterly movement of humpback whales along the southern coast of Ireland is documented, mirroring that of their preferred prey: herring and sprat. Photo-identification images were compared with others collected throughout the North Atlantic (N = 8016), resulting in matches of two individuals between Ireland and Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands but no matches to known breeding grounds (Cape Verde and West Indies). This study demonstrates that combining public records with dedicated survey data is an effective approach to studying low-density, threatened migratory species over temporal and spatial scales that are relevant to conservation and management.

Between 1994 and 1996 we identified 26 harp seals (Phoca groenlandica Erxleben) between the western shore of Penobscot Bay (44° 05' N, 69° 05' W) and Calais, Maine (45° 11' N, 67° 16' W). This represents a dramatic increase in sightings for this area, from which only three previous records have been published. Most sightings occurred between late January and early April. One individual was an adult with a pup, the first evidence for probable whelping in the region. All other individuals were juveniles, with males more abundant than females. Most individuals appeared to be in good health. A single tagged individual was subsequently reported from Fortune Bay, Newfoundland after having traveled at least 1,250 kilometers in an interval of 34 days.