32565
Are humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) breeding and calving in the Mariana Islands?
Document
Published / External
30990
PSD- Cetacean Research Program (CRP) Publications Portfolio
Project
Completed
2016-06-01
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.
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.
Theme
Humpback whale
Theme
biopsy sampling
Theme
photo-identification
Spatial
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Spatial
Saipan
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Honolulu
HI
USA
Report
Acrobat Portable Document Format
Published
Author
2016
Person
Hill, Marie C
marie.hill@noaa.gov
1845 Wasp Blvd.
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
(808)725-5710
Data Steward
2006
Person
Hill, Marie C
marie.hill@noaa.gov
1845 Wasp Blvd.
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
(808)725-5710
Distributor
2006
Organization
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
PIFSC
pifsc.info@noaa.gov
1845 Wasp Blvd.
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
808-725-5360
https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage
Online Resource
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Metadata Contact
2006
Person
Hill, Marie C
marie.hill@noaa.gov
1845 Wasp Blvd.
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
(808)725-5710
Point of Contact
2009
Person
Oleson, Erin M
erin.oleson@noaa.gov
1845 Wasp Blvd.
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
(808)725-5712
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Point of Contact
2006
Person
Hill, Marie C
marie.hill@noaa.gov
1845 Wasp Blvd.
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
(808)725-5710
Mariana Archipelago
Range
2015-02
2016-03
Two small-boat survey efforts (Feb-March 2015 and March 2016)
Unclassified
None
None
None
None
https://archive.iwc.int/?r=6040&k=e0ad9e1796
SC/66b/O/02
Online Resource
Submission to the IWC Scientific Committee / Scientific Committee Meeting Papers / SC66B | Slovenia 2016 / O
32567
Project
Guam/CNMI Photo-ID Catalog: Humpback whales
Cross Reference
18455
Project
Small-boat Cetacean Surveys- Guam/CNMI EEZ (Marianas)
Cross Reference
small-boat surveys conducted in Feb-March 2015 and March 2016
gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:32565
Marie Hill
2016-04-25T21:34:21
SysAdmin InPortAdmin
2022-10-20T02:17:37
2022-05-04
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
PIFSC
1845 Wasp Blvd.
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
808-725-5300
http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
1001
Public
No
2022-05-04
1 Year
2023-05-04