AFSC/NMML: Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program Humpback Whale Catalog

Since 1980, the Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory has been collecting photos of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Alaskan waters. Photo-identification is a useful method to gain insight into stock structure, life history, habitat use and movements. Some of the images were collected during humpback whale specific projects while others have been documented on an opportunistic basis. Photos have been collected within Southeast Alaska, along the Alaskan Peninsula, Kodiak Island, the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea sides of the Aleutian Chain, as well as, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea.

This is a catalog of all humpback whale flukes that have been documented over the years by the Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory and will be used to look at life history, habitat use and movements of humpback whales in Alaskan waters.

Loaded by FGDC Metadata Uploader, batch 6390, 07-01-2015 16:20

The following FGDC sections are not currently supported in InPort, but were preserved and will be included in the FGDC export:

- Taxonomy (FGDC:taxonomy)

The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.

NOAA denies liability if the data are misused.

The data is not yet available.

The dataset is in the process of being submitted to NCEI.

User must read and fully comprehend the metadata prior to use. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. Acknowledgement

of NOAA/NMFS/AFSC, as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these, data is suggested.

Access

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

All images were analyzed by marine mammal observers with extensive humpback/right whale photographic identification experience. Images were coded by quality (based on focus, whale angle, and lighting). All right whale matches were confirmed by two or more observers.

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