Are humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) breeding and calving in the Mariana Islands?
Document (DOC) | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:32565 | Updated: October 20, 2022 | Published / External
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Summary
Prior to 2015, the occurrence of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Mariana Islands, located in the
western North Pacific Ocean (WNP), was known from whaling records, incidental sightings, passive acoustic
recordings and a sighting during a shipboard cetacean survey of the Marianas in 2007. It is not clear whether
humpback whales use the Marianas as a wintering (breeding and calving) area or as a corridor from another
wintering area(s) to their summertime feeding area(s), which are also unknown. To better understand the population
identity of humpback whales in the Marianas, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center's Cetacean Research
Program partnered with the U.S. Navy to conduct small-boat photo-identification and genetic monitoring surveys for
humpback whales off islands in the southern portion of the Mariana Archipelago during February-March 2015 and
March 2016. A total of nine different mother-calf pairs and four non-calf whales were encountered during the 2015-
2016 surveys. Three fluke photo-identification images and nine biopsy samples were collected from these 22
individuals. Comparisons of the three fluke images to those of five humpback whales seen off the Marianas during
the 2007 ship survey resulted in a match of a female with a calf in 2016. Comparisons with other WNP humpback
whale catalogs and genetic analyses of the collected biopsy samples are ongoing and will be reported as results
become available.
Document Information
Document Type
Report
Document Format
Acrobat Portable Document Format
Publication Date
2016-06-01
Contact Information
Point of Contact
Erin M Oleson
erin.oleson@noaa.gov
(808)725-5712
Point of Contact
Marie C Hill
marie.hill@noaa.gov
(808)725-5710
Metadata Contact
Marie C Hill
marie.hill@noaa.gov
(808)725-5710
Extents
2015-02 - 2016-03
Two small-boat survey efforts (Feb-March 2015 and March 2016)
Item Identification
| Title: | Are humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) breeding and calving in the Mariana Islands? |
|---|---|
| Status: | Completed |
| Publication Date: | 2016-06-01 |
| Abstract: |
Prior to 2015, the occurrence of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Mariana Islands, located in the western North Pacific Ocean (WNP), was known from whaling records, incidental sightings, passive acoustic recordings and a sighting during a shipboard cetacean survey of the Marianas in 2007. It is not clear whether humpback whales use the Marianas as a wintering (breeding and calving) area or as a corridor from another wintering area(s) to their summertime feeding area(s), which are also unknown. To better understand the population identity of humpback whales in the Marianas, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center's Cetacean Research Program partnered with the U.S. Navy to conduct small-boat photo-identification and genetic monitoring surveys for humpback whales off islands in the southern portion of the Mariana Archipelago during February-March 2015 and March 2016. A total of nine different mother-calf pairs and four non-calf whales were encountered during the 2015- 2016 surveys. Three fluke photo-identification images and nine biopsy samples were collected from these 22 individuals. Comparisons of the three fluke images to those of five humpback whales seen off the Marianas during the 2007 ship survey resulted in a match of a female with a calf in 2016. Comparisons with other WNP humpback whale catalogs and genetic analyses of the collected biopsy samples are ongoing and will be reported as results become available. |
| Other Citation Details: |
Hill, M.C., A.L. Bradford, A.D. Ligon, A.C.U., J. Rivers, R.K. Uyeyama, R.L. Brownell, and E.M. Oleson. 2016. Are humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) breeding and calving in the Mariana Islands? Report for the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee meeting. SC_66B_O_02. 9 pp. |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | biopsy sampling |
| None | Humpback whale |
| None | photo-identification |
Spatial Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands |
| None | Saipan |
Physical Location
| Organization: | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center |
|---|---|
| City: | Honolulu |
| State/Province: | HI |
| Country: | USA |
Document Information
| Document Type: | Report |
|---|---|
| Format: | Acrobat Portable Document Format |
| Status Code: | Published |
Support Roles
Author
| Date Effective From: | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Hill, Marie C |
| Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
| Email Address: | marie.hill@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (808)725-5710 |
Data Steward
| Date Effective From: | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Hill, Marie C |
| Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
| Email Address: | marie.hill@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (808)725-5710 |
Distributor
| Date Effective From: | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Organization): | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) |
| Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
| Email Address: | pifsc.info@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | 808-725-5360 |
| URL: | https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov |
| Business Hours: | 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
Metadata Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Hill, Marie C |
| Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
| Email Address: | marie.hill@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (808)725-5710 |
Point of Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Oleson, Erin M |
| Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
| Email Address: | erin.oleson@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (808)725-5712 |
| Business Hours: | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
Point of Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Hill, Marie C |
| Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
| Email Address: | marie.hill@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (808)725-5710 |
Extents
Extent Group 1
| Extent Description: |
Mariana Archipelago |
|---|
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
| Time Frame Type: | Range |
|---|---|
| Start: | 2015-02 |
| End: | 2016-03 |
| Description: |
Two small-boat survey efforts (Feb-March 2015 and March 2016) |
Access Information
| Security Class: | Unclassified |
|---|---|
| Data Access Constraints: |
None |
| Data Use Constraints: |
None |
| Metadata Access Constraints: |
None |
| Metadata Use Constraints: |
None |
URLs
URL 1
| URL: | https://archive.iwc.int/?r=6040&k=e0ad9e1796 |
|---|---|
| Name: | SC/66b/O/02 |
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
| Description: |
Submission to the IWC Scientific Committee / Scientific Committee Meeting Papers / SC66B | Slovenia 2016 / O |
Related Items
| Item Type | Relationship Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Project (PRJ) | Cross Reference |
Guam/CNMI Photo-ID Catalog: Humpback whales |
| Project (PRJ) | Cross Reference |
Small-boat Cetacean Surveys- Guam/CNMI EEZ (Marianas) small-boat surveys conducted in Feb-March 2015 and March 2016 |
Catalog Details
| Catalog Item ID: | 32565 |
|---|---|
| GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:32565 |
| Metadata Record Created By: | Marie C Hill |
| Metadata Record Created: | 2016-04-25 21:34+0000 |
| Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
| Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2022-10-20 02:17+0000 |
| Metadata Record Published: | 2022-05-04 |
| Owner Org: | PIFSC |
| Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
| Do Not Publish?: | N |
| Metadata Last Review Date: | 2022-05-04 |
| Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
| Metadata Next Review Date: | 2023-05-04 |