Fin whales of the Great Bear Rainforest : Balaenoptera physalus velifera in a Canadian Pacific fjord system
| Autor: | Hermann Meuter, Linda M. Nichol, Janie Wray, Kim-Ly Thompson, Hussein M. Alidina, James F. Pilkington, Nicole Robinson, Éadin O’Mahony, Eric M. Keen, Chris R. Picard, Benjamin Hendricks, Archie Dundas |
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| Přispěvatelé: | University of St Andrews. School of Biology |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Topography
QH301 Biology Marine and Aquatic Sciences Conservation of Energy Resources Medicine and Health Sciences Sound (geography) Mammals Islands education.field_of_study Multidisciplinary geography.geographical_feature_category biology Ecology Fin Whale Stomach Eukaryota Fin Whales Habitats Geography Habitat Humpback Whales Research Design Vertebrates Medicine Anatomy Research Article Canada Science Population Fjord Marine Biology Rainforest Research and Analysis Methods QH301 biology.animal Animals Whaling SDG 14 - Life Below Water education Marine Mammals Ecosystem MCC Landforms QL Survey Research Pacific Ocean Balaenoptera Whale Ecology and Environmental Sciences Organisms Whales Biology and Life Sciences Shores Geomorphology DAS QL Zoology biology.organism_classification Fishery Gastrointestinal Tract Amniotes Earth Sciences Zoology Digestive System |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 9, p e0256815 (2021) PLoS ONE |
| Popis: | Funding: This research was supported by a Mitacs Accelerate Internship (IT21479); the Save Our Seas Foundation; Willow Grove Foundation; Donner Canadian Foundation; Tides Canada; LUSH Charity Pot; private donations to North Coast Cetacean Society; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; and the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CANAFSAR 2019-2021). Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are widely considered an offshore and oceanic species, but certain populations also use coastal areas and semi-enclosed seas. Based upon fifteen years of study, we report that Canadian Pacific fin whales (B. p. velifera) have returned to the Kitimat Fjord System (KFS) in the Great Bear Rainforest, and have established a seasonally resident population in its intracoastal waters. This is the only fjord system along this coast or elsewhere in which fin whales are known to occur regularly with strong site fidelity. The KFS was also the only Canadian Pacific fjord system in which fin whales were commonly found and killed during commercial whaling, pointing to its long-term importance. Traditional knowledge, whaling records, and citizen science databases suggest that fin whales were extirpated from this area prior to their return in 2005-2006. Visual surveys and mark-recapture analysis documented their repopulation of the area, with 100-120 whales using the fjord system in recent years, as well as the establishment of a seasonally resident population with annual return rates higher than 70%. Line transect surveys identified the central and outer channels of the KFS as the primary fin whale habitat, with the greatest densities occurring in Squally Channel and Caamano Sound. Fin whales were observed in the KFS in most months of the year. Vessel- and shore-based surveys (27,311 km and 6,572 hours of effort, respectively) indicated regular fin whale presence (2,542 detections), including mother-calf pairs, from June to October and peak abundance in late August-early September. Seasonal patterns were variable year-to-year, and several lines of evidence indicated that fin whales arrived and departed from the KFS repeatedly throughout the summer and fall. Additionally, we report on the population's social network and morphometrics. These findings offer insights into the dynamics of population recovery in an area where several marine shipping projects are proposed. The fin whales of the Great Bear Rainforest represent a rare exception to general patterns in this species' natural history, and we highlight the importance of their conservation. Publisher PDF |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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