First high‐ to low‐latitude match of an eastern North Pacific right whale (<i>Eubalaena japonica</i>)

Kennedy, Amy S.; Salden, Dan R.; Clapham, Phillip J.

doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2011.00539.x

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Winter survey effort of NPRW has been limited due to weather and funding constraints (Shelden et al 2005, Munger et al 2008). Nevertheless, previous acoustic data from the SEBS (2000SEBS ( −2006 recorded an absence of NPRW during winter (Jan-Apr; Munger et al 2008), which is consistent with the hypothesis that NPRW seasonally migrate south of the Aleutian Chain (Gendron et al 1999, Kennedy et al 2012. Migration to lower latitude re gions for breeding and calving has been documented for congeneric right whale populations (Matthews 1983, Kraus et al 1986).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 70%

“…To date, no migration routes or breeding/ calving grounds of NPRWs are known. One individual NPRW has been sighted in the SEBS and Hawaii (Kennedy et al 2012), tentatively supporting the migratory hypothesis and suggesting a potential over wintering ground. Data on winter occurrence and distribution are therefore essential to understand the basic life history of this Critically Endangered species (Reilly et al 2008) and to formulate effective management strategies.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 65%

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Acoustic detection of North Pacific right whales in a high-traffic Aleutian Pass, 2009-2015

Wright¹,

Castellote²,

Berchok³

et al. 2018

Endang. Species. Res.

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Little is known about the winter distribution of the Critically Endangered eastern population of North Pacific right whale Eubalaena japonica (NPRW), but it has been proposed that the eastern Aleutian Islands, specifically Unimak Pass, constitute a plausible migratory route for individuals. This is a major point of concern given the high shipping traffic in this pass. Therefore, a long-term acoustic recorder was deployed in Unimak Pass (2009−2015), and NPRWs were identified using the 'up' and 'gunshot' call types during manual review of data (8188 recorded hours). Calls were grouped into periods of hypothesized migration (Dec−Feb and Mar−May) and other (Jun−Aug and Sep−Nov). Overall, NPRW calling was intermittent and clustered in time, suggestive of a few individuals transiting the area across seasons. Upcalls (n = 31) were detected on 7 d and occurred most often during Dec−Feb, whereas gunshots (n = 465) were detected on 32 d, occurring in all months except February and October. The majority of individual gunshot calls (n = 306) occurred over 3 d in Dec−Feb 2014−15. Because of this pattern, gunshot calling occurred on more days during Jun−Aug, while more individual calls occurred during Dec−Feb. Diel and seasonal trends in hourly call detection rates were absent. Together, these data confirm that NPRW use Unimak Pass both during and outside of the assumed migratory period. Pervasive vessel noise throughout the study highlights near constant potential for interaction with anthropogenic disturbance. Consistently higher vessel noise during Dec−Feb suggests that this species is most vulnerable during the assumed migratory period.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Acoustic detection of North Pacific right whales in a high-traffic Aleutian Pass, 2009-2015

Wright¹,

Castellote²,

Berchok³

et al. 2018

Endang. Species. Res.

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“…Photo-identification studies started on NARW in the United States in the 1960s (Kraus et al, 1986), on SRW in South Africa, southwest Australia, and Argentina in the 1970s (Payne et al, 1981;Best, 1990), in Brazil in the 1980s (Groch et al, 2005), in New Zealand in the 1990s (Patenaude et al, 1998), and in Chile in the 2000s (Vernazzani et al, 2014). NOAA/NMFS began compiling the NPRW catalog in 2008, and this now includes photos from 1979 to present (Kennedy et al, 2012). DNA profiles, constructed using a combination of hypervariable microsatellite markers and sex-specific loci, have also been used to identify individuals primarily in NARW, NPRW and SRW in the Indo-Pacific region (Frasier et al, 2007;Carroll et al, 2011;Wade et al, 2011b;Carroll et al, 2012Carroll et al, , 2015.…”

Section: Catalogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future Directions in Eubalaena spp.: Comparative Research to Inform Conservation

et al. 2019

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All three extant right whales [Eubalaena australis (Southern; SRW), glacialis (North Atlantic; NARW), and japonica (North Pacific; NPRW)] were heavily exploited, and the status of the two northern hemisphere species remains precarious. Recently, limited gains made by the NARW have been reversed and urgent changes to management approaches are needed if extinction is to be averted. By contrast, some SRW populations are recovering. Given their close phylogenetic relationship, morphological, demographic, and ecological similarities, the contrasting recovery rates between populations and species provide an opportunity to apply a comparative approach to inform the differences in recovery as follows. (1) Recovery: All right whale species were internationally protected in 1931, but NARW, eastern NPRW and some SRW populations have barely recovered from whaling, while others are doing so at maximal rates. Are these differences a legacy of extreme depletion (e.g., loss of genetic diversity and cultural knowledge) or primarily due to anthropogenic factors (e.g., high mortality from ship strike and fisheries entanglement)? If modern anthropogenic threats are not affecting remote SRW populations, can these serve as baseline populations for comparison with NARW and NPRW? (2) Linking individuals to population-level responses: In wild mammals, strong links exist between reproductive indices and environmental conditions within the context of life-history strategies. Individual identification of whales provides the ability to track survival, reproduction and other demographic parameters, and their population-level consequences, providing the tools with which to uncover these links. Robust life-history analyses are now available for NARW and several SRW populations, linking demography with environmental conditions, providing the potential for teasing out important influencing factors. (3) Adapting to shifting resources: Recent reproductive declines in NARW appear linked to changing food resources. While we know some large-scale movement patterns for NARW and a few SRW populations, we know little of mesoscale movements. For NPRW and some SRW populations, even broad-scale movements are poorly understood. In the face of climate change, can methodological advances help identify Eubalaena distributional and migratory responses? (4) Emergent diseases and the vulnerability of populations under stress: Marine mammals are vulnerable to infectious diseases,

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“…The North Pacific right whale ( Eubalaena japonicus ), which once numbered in the tens of thousands, now exists only as a few hundred individuals throughout the ocean . The primary feeding and breeding grounds, if they still exist, remain largely unknown, though a recent match of an individual spotted off Hawaii with a sighting in the southeastern Bering Sea provides evidence that these areas, both within U.S. waters, may have been important for this species . Even though this species has been protected by international treaties since the 1930s, and by both the MMPA and ESA, the population in the eastern North Pacific probably numbers fewer than 50 individuals and may be the smallest whale population on Earth …”

Section: Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…20 The primary feeding and breeding grounds, if they still exist, remain largely unknown, though a recent match of an individual spotted off Hawaii with a sighting in the southeastern Bering Sea provides evidence that these areas, both within U.S. waters, may have been important for this species. 21 Even though this species has been protected by international treaties since the 1930s, and by both the MMPA and ESA, the population in the eastern North Pacific probably numbers fewer than 50 individuals and may be the smallest whale population on Earth. 22 Collisions with ships and fisheries entanglements are significant causes of mortality among marine mammals, and several recent review articles provide ample evidence that great whales in particular remain at risk.…”

Section: Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Marine Mammal Protection Act at 40: status, recovery, and future of U.S. marine mammals

Roman

Altman

Dunphy‐Daly

et al. 2013

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

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Passed in 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act has two fundamental objectives: to maintain U.S. marine mammal stocks at their optimum sustainable populations and to uphold their ecological role in the ocean. The current status of many marine mammal populations is considerably better than in 1972. Take reduction plans have been largely successful in reducing direct fisheries bycatch, although they have not been prepared for all at-risk stocks, and fisheries continue to place marine mammals as risk. Information on population trends is unknown for most (71%) stocks; more stocks with known trends are improving than declining: 19% increasing, 5% stable, and 5% decreasing. Challenges remain, however, and the act has generally been ineffective in treating indirect impacts, such as noise, disease, and prey depletion. Existing conservation measures have not protected large whales from fisheries interactions or ship strikes in the northwestern Atlantic. Despite these limitations, marine mammals within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone appear to be faring better than those outside, with fewer species in at-risk categories and more of least concern.

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First high‐ to low‐latitude match of an eastern North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica)

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

Acoustic detection of North Pacific right whales in a high-traffic Aleutian Pass, 2009-2015

Acoustic detection of North Pacific right whales in a high-traffic Aleutian Pass, 2009-2015

Future Directions in Eubalaena spp.: Comparative Research to Inform Conservation

The Marine Mammal Protection Act at 40: status, recovery, and future of U.S. marine mammals

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