First time series of estimated humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) abundance in Prince William Sound

Teerlink, Suzanne F.; Ziegesar, Olga von; Straley, Janice M.; Quinn, Terrance J.; Matkin, Craig O.; Saulitis, Eva

doi:10.1007/s10651-014-0301-8

Cited by 11 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Potential predators include populations of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) or piscivorous marine birds [23,43,44]. Effects of these predators on herring and salmon may be direct, or indirect through apparent competition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating signals of oil spill impacts, climate, and species interactions in Pacific herring and Pacific salmon populations in Prince William Sound and Copper River, Alaska

et al. 2017

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The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in March 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and was one of the worst environmental disasters on record in the United States. Despite long-term data collection over the nearly three decades since the spill, tremendous uncertainty remains as to how significantly the spill affected fishery resources. Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) and some wild Pacific salmon populations (Oncorhynchus spp.) in Prince William Sound declined in the early 1990s, and have not returned to the population sizes observed in the 1980s. Discerning if, or how much of, this decline resulted from the oil spill has been difficult because a number of other physical and ecological drivers are confounded temporally with the spill; some of these drivers include environmental variability or changing climate regimes, increased production of hatchery salmon in the region, and increases in populations of potential predators. Using data pre- and post-spill, we applied time-series methods to evaluate support for whether and how herring and salmon productivity has been affected by each of five drivers: (1) density dependence, (2) the EVOS event, (3) changing environmental conditions, (4) interspecific competition on juvenile fish, and (5) predation and competition from adult fish or, in the case of herring, humpback whales. Our results showed support for intraspecific density-dependent effects in herring, sockeye, and Chinook salmon, with little overall support for an oil spill effect. Of the salmon species, the largest driver was the negative impact of adult pink salmon returns on sockeye salmon productivity. Herring productivity was most strongly affected by changing environmental conditions; specifically, freshwater discharge into the Gulf of Alaska was linked to a series of recruitment failures—before, during, and after EVOS. These results highlight the need to better understand long terms impacts of pink salmon on food webs, as well as the interactions between nearshore species and freshwater inputs, particularly as they relate to climate change and increasing water temperatures.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating signals of oil spill impacts, climate, and species interactions in Pacific herring and Pacific salmon populations in Prince William Sound and Copper River, Alaska

et al. 2017

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“…Sixty-five females were documented with 148 different calves of which 43 were successfully identified by fluke photographs in their first year with their mother. Only 9 of these young whales were re-sighted in PWS as adults [16]. Seven were offspring of the clan whales but were not observed associating with their maternal clan.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A “research day” consisted of at least 8 hours of survey time per RV. At times, multiple RV’s were used, therefore, the number of “research days” varied annually between 29 and 252 [16]. Whales were found by searching sometimes with the help of reported whale sightings.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long-term associations and insights on social structure of the Humpback whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Ziegesar

Gill

Goodwin

2020

Preprint

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Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) social structure is more complex than previously thought. Because of the fluid “fission-fusion” nature of their relationships: individuals foraging, traveling, and socializing with a number of animals, where associations form and are broken numerous times, little has been confirmed about their long-term associations. Humpback whales of the North Pacific Ocean migrate annually between tropical breeding areas to northern latitudes where they congregate and feed. The purpose of this study was to explore the social and feeding habits of the summer population of humpback whales returning to Prince William Sound (PWS) in the south central coast of Alaska. Fluke photographs of pigmentation patterns were used to document individual whales between the years 1983 and 2009 to determine, population characteristics, reproductive rates, long-term associations, feeding habits and spatial partitioning. During the 27 year study period there were 3,017 encounters with 405 unique whales. Forty of these whales (9.88%) had long sighting histories, showing strong site fidelity. Association indices for all pairs of whales were calculated. Long-lasting associations were found between thirty-two of the forty whales. Two distinct groups were determined by the highest association coefficients. Although the overall ranges of the two groups overlapped, they did not often mingle and offspring did not join their maternal group. All but two females had enduring bonds with at least one male. Associate males were sometimes found at a distance from others of their “clan” and would rejoin periodically. Two whales from one of these clans were found together in Hawaiian waters, a male escorting a female with a newborn calf, suggesting these long lasting associations endure through migration and into the southern breeding areas. Optimal observation conditions of a small population of humpback whales in sheltered waters allowed the discovery of two social groups enduring almost three decades.

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“…This decline has been attributed to a variety of factors, including impacts from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, which contaminated substantial portions of known staging areas and spawning habitat (Peterson et al 2003); hatchery releases of juvenile Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha; changes in ocean conditions; and poor nutritional condition of the fish (Pearson et al 2012). A significant increase in the abundance of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae-an important marine predator of herring-has been reported during this period within the sound (Teerlink et al 2015) and may also be a contributing factor.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tagging Response and Postspawning Movements of Pacific Herring, a Small Pelagic Forage Fish Sensitive to Handling

Eiler

Bishop

2016

Trans Am Fish Soc

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Pacific Herring Clupea pallasii are an important forage fish in the northern Pacific Ocean and support commercial fisheries throughout the region, although numerous populations have experienced pronounced declines in abundance. Acoustic telemetry can enhance our understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of depressed herring populations. However, herring are extremely sensitive to handling. During 2012-2013, we tagged 94 adult herring with acoustic transmitters on their spawning grounds in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The handling and tagging methods were specifically designed to minimize physical injuries and stress. Receiver arrays located near the spawning area (2012)(2013) and at the principal entrances into the sound from the Gulf of Alaska (2013) were used to track the postspawning movements of the fish. The herring responded well to the tagging procedures. Most were subsequently detected by the arrays, ranging from 88.0% in 2012 to 92.8% in 2013, when the entire tracking system was operational. Forty-three (67.2%) of the 64 fish detected during 2013 were recorded near entrances to the sound, representing minimum travel distances of 50-180 km. Initial movements during the spring and summer were generally to the southwest and mirrored the prevailing currents, but a number of fish were subsequently observed moving east, including one individual detected near the spawning area during the late fall and winter. Larger herring were more frequently detected near the entrances to the sound. Although it is possible that smaller fish exhibit different migratory patterns, the lower detection rate may also suggest that these individuals were adversely affected by the tagging. Our findings suggest that large-scale telemetry studies on pelagic forage fish such as herring are feasible. These data provide new insights into the migratory patterns of herring and present an opportunity to address ongoing questions related to the factors affecting the status and recovery of depressed populations.

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First time series of estimated humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) abundance in Prince William Sound

Cited by 11 publications

References 22 publications

Evaluating signals of oil spill impacts, climate, and species interactions in Pacific herring and Pacific salmon populations in Prince William Sound and Copper River, Alaska

Evaluating signals of oil spill impacts, climate, and species interactions in Pacific herring and Pacific salmon populations in Prince William Sound and Copper River, Alaska

Long-term associations and insights on social structure of the Humpback whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Tagging Response and Postspawning Movements of Pacific Herring, a Small Pelagic Forage Fish Sensitive to Handling

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