Found: a missing breeding ground for endangered western North Pacific humpback whales in the Mariana Archipelago
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Summary
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01010
DescriptionHumpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae that breed in the western North Pacific (WNP) are listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. Previous research in the WNP concluded that the full extent of humpback whale breeding areas is unknown. Recovering this endangered population requires identifying all associated breeding grounds and potential threats in those locations. Prior to 2015, humpback whales were known to occur in the Mariana Archipelago (within the WNP), but their population identity and habitat use there were unknown. To determine the population identity of humpback whales in the Mariana Archipelago and whether the area serves as a breeding ground for these whales, small-boat photo-identification and biopsy sampling surveys were conducted in the southern portion of the archipelago during February and March 2015-2018. A total of 14 mother-calf pairs and 27 other non-calf whales were encountered. Seven non-calves were re-sighted in multiple years, including 4 females associated with calves in one or more years. Competitive behavior was observed in multiple years. Comparisons with other North Pacific humpback whale catalogs resulted in matches to breeding (Japan and Philippines) and feeding (Russia) grounds in the WNP. DNA profiling of 28 biopsy samples identified 24 individuals (14 females, 10 males) representing 7 mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. The haplotype frequencies from the Mariana Archipelago showed the greatest identity with the Ogasawara breeding ground and Commander Islands feeding ground in the WNP. This study establishes the Mariana Archipelago as a breeding area for endangered WNP humpback whales, which should be considered in ongoing research and conservation efforts.
Document Information
Document Type
Journal article
Document Format
Acrobat Portable Document Format
Publication Date
2020-01-20
Distribution Information
-
PDF - Adobe Portable Document Format
Contact Information
No contact information is available for this record.
Please contact the owner organization (PIFSC) for inquiries on this record.
Item Identification
Title: | Found: a missing breeding ground for endangered western North Pacific humpback whales in the Mariana Archipelago |
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Status: | Completed |
Publication Date: | 2020-01-20 |
Abstract: |
Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae that breed in the western North Pacific (WNP) are listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. Previous research in the WNP concluded that the full extent of humpback whale breeding areas is unknown. Recovering this endangered population requires identifying all associated breeding grounds and potential threats in those locations. Prior to 2015, humpback whales were known to occur in the Mariana Archipelago (within the WNP), but their population identity and habitat use there were unknown. To determine the population identity of humpback whales in the Mariana Archipelago and whether the area serves as a breeding ground for these whales, small-boat photo-identification and biopsy sampling surveys were conducted in the southern portion of the archipelago during February and March 2015-2018. A total of 14 mother-calf pairs and 27 other non-calf whales were encountered. Seven non-calves were re-sighted in multiple years, including 4 females associated with calves in one or more years. Competitive behavior was observed in multiple years. Comparisons with other North Pacific humpback whale catalogs resulted in matches to breeding (Japan and Philippines) and feeding (Russia) grounds in the WNP. DNA profiling of 28 biopsy samples identified 24 individuals (14 females, 10 males) representing 7 mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. The haplotype frequencies from the Mariana Archipelago showed the greatest identity with the Ogasawara breeding ground and Commander Islands feeding ground in the WNP. This study establishes the Mariana Archipelago as a breeding area for endangered WNP humpback whales, which should be considered in ongoing research and conservation efforts. |
Other Citation Details: |
Marie C. Hill 1,2*, Amanda L. Bradford 2, Debbie Steel 3, C. Scott Baker 3, Allan D. Ligon 4, Adam C. Ü 5, Jo Marie V. Acebes 6, Olga A. Filatova 7, Siri Hakala 2, Nozomi Kobayashi 8, Yukari Morimoto 9, Haruna Okabe 8, Ryosuke Okamoto 10, Julie Rivers 11, Takayuki Sato 9, Olga V. Titova 12, Robert K. Uyeyama 13, and Erin M. Oleson 2 1 Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA 2 Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, NOAA, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA 3 Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon 97365, USA 4 Erin, Tennessee 37061, USA 5 Maple Falls, WA 98266, USA 6 BALYENA.ORG, Barangay Pangdan, Jagna, Bohol 6308, Philippines 7 Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia 8 Okinawa Churashima Research Center, Okinawa Churashima Foundation, 888 Ishikawa, Motobu-cho, Okinawa 905-0206, Japan 9 Ogasawara Marine Center, Everlasting Nature of Asia, Byoubudani Chichi-jima, Ogasawara-mura, Tokyo, 100-2101, Japan 10 Ogasawara Whale Watching Association, Chichi-jima, Ogasawara-mura, Tokyo, 100-2101, Japan 11 Commander U.S. Navy Forces Europe/Africa, U.S. Sixth Fleet, Naples, Italy 12 Kamchatka Branch of Pacific Institute of Geography FEB RAS, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683024, Russia 13 Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860, USA |
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): | https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01010 |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
Thesaurus | Keyword |
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UNCONTROLLED | |
None | genetics |
None | humpback whale |
None | photo-identification |
Spatial Keywords
Thesaurus | Keyword |
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UNCONTROLLED | |
None | Mariana Arichipelago |
Physical Location
Organization: | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center |
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City: | Honolulu |
State/Province: | HI |
Country: | USA |
Document Information
Document Type: | Journal article |
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Format: | Acrobat Portable Document Format |
Status Code: | Final |
Support Roles
Author
Date Effective From: | 2019 |
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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 |
Access Information
Security Class: | Unclassified |
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Distribution Information
Distribution 1
Start Date: | 2020-01-20 |
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End Date: | Present |
Download URL: | https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01010 |
Distributor: | |
File Type (Deprecated): | |
Distribution Format: | PDF - Adobe Portable Document Format |
Related Items
Item Type | Relationship Type | Title |
---|---|---|
Project (PRJ) | Cross Reference |
Biopsy Samples- Guam/CNMI EEZ (Marianas) |
Project (PRJ) | Cross Reference |
Cetacean Photos- Guam/CNMI EEZ (Marianas) |
Project (PRJ) | Cross Reference |
Small-boat Cetacean Surveys- Guam/CNMI EEZ (Marianas) |
Catalog Details
Catalog Item ID: | 56243 |
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GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:56243 |
Metadata Record Created By: | Marie C Hill |
Metadata Record Created: | 2019-05-06 21:55+0000 |
Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2023-10-17 16:12+0000 |
Metadata Record Published: | 2020-10-22 |
Owner Org: | PIFSC |
Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
Do Not Publish?: | N |
Metadata Last Review Date: | 2020-10-22 |
Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
Metadata Next Review Date: | 2021-10-22 |