Keywords
conservación de ballenas; poblaciones en peligro; especies migratorias; protección de hábitat crítico; Segmento Poblacional Distinto de Central America.
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction: The study of many aspects of cetacean ecology is made possible by identifying individuals through space and time. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) can be easily identified by photographing their ventral tail flukes’ unique shape and pigmentation patterns. The small and endangered distinct population segment (DPS) of Central America humpback whales visit El Salvador seasonally each winter; however, dedicated research has been extremely limited there. Before 2018, only 11 individual whales had been photo-identified, and the migratory destinations of Salvadoran humpback whales were unknown. In recent years, photo-identification efforts have increased, and today there are 92 individually identified humpback whales from El Salvador.
Objective: To identify the main high-latitude feeding areas of Salvadoran humpback whales.
Methods: Using the online matching platform Happywhale, Salvadoran whales were matched via automated image recognition to a global humpback whale fluke photo-identification catalog of 66 043 individuals.
Results: In total, 80 (87.0 %) of the whales photographed in El Salvador were matched to individuals seen in North Pacific feeding areas. Sighting histories of Salvadoran whales resighted in feeding areas ranged from two to 29 years (average = 12.1, SD = 5.8). While we note that survey effort was likely very different between regions, the main feeding area of Salvadoran humpback whales on Happywhale was Central California (n = 70, 76.1 %). Of these whales, 21 (22.8 %) had also been sighted in Southern California, while just three (3.3 %) individual whales were registered only in Southern California. Additionally, two whales (2.2 %) were sighted in Southern British Columbia, Canada, and one whale was matched to a humpback whale from Southeast Alaska. This whale (of unknown sex) has a sighting history of 27 years but no prior documentation in a breeding area and is the first published sighting of a Southeast Alaskan humpback whale in the breeding area of the endangered Central America DPS.
Conclusions: Our study shows that while Salvadoran humpback whales were matched to various feeding areas in the Eastern North Pacific, their primary migratory destinations are in Southern and Central California.
References
Acebes, J. M. V., Okabe, H., Kobayashi, N., Nakagun, S., Sakamoto, T., Hirney, B., & Uchida, S. (2021). Interchange and movements of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) between western North pacific winter breeding grounds in Northern Luzon, Philippines and Okinawa, Japan. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, 22, 39–53. https://doi.org/10.47536/JCRM.V22I1.201
Bettridge, S., Olivia, M., Baker, C. S., Barlow, J.,Clapham, P., Ford, M. J., Gouveia, D., Mattila, D. K., Pace, R. M., Rosel, P. E., Silber, G. K., & Wade, P. R. (2015). NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS Status Review of the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA technical memorandum NMFS; NOAA–TM–NMFS–SWFSC. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/4883
Bowditch, N. (1977). American practical navigator: an epitome of navigation. Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic Center. Defense Mapping Agency, Office of Distribution Services. https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications/download?key=16693975/SFH00000/Bowditch_Vol_2_LoRes.pdf&type=view
Calambokidis, J., Steiger, G. H., Rasmussen, K., Urbán, J. R., Balcomb, K. C., Ladrón De Guevara, P. P., Salinas Z., M., Jacobsen, J. K., Baker, C. S., Herman, L. M., Cerchio, S., & Darling, J. D. (2000). Migratory destinations of humpback whales that feed off California, Oregon and Washington. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 192, 295–304. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps192295
Calambokidis, J., Steiger, G. H., Straley, J. M., Herman, L. M., Cerchio, S., Salden, D. R., Urban R., J., Jacobsen, J. K., Von Ziegesar, O., Balcomb, K. C., Gabriele, C. M., Dahlheim, M. E., Uchida, S., Ellis, G., Mlyamura, Y., de guevara Paloma Ladrón, P., Yamaguchi, M., Sato, F., Mizroch, ... Quinn, T. J. (2001). Movements and population structure of humpback whales in the North Pacific. Marine Mammal Science, 17, 769–794. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2001.tb01298.x
Calambokidis, J., Falcone, E. A., Quinn, T. J., Burdin, A. M., Clapham, P. J., Ford, J. K. B., Gabriele, C. M., LeDuc, R., Matilla, D., Rojas-Bracho, L., Straley, J. M., Taylor, B. L., Urbán R, J., Weller, D., Witteveen, B., Yamaguchi, M., Bendlin, A., Camacho, D., Flynn, K., … Wade, P. R. (2008). SPLASH: Structure of populations, levels of abundance and status of humpback whales in the North Pacific. Final report for Contract AB133F–03–RP–00078. https://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/science/archive.html
Cassoff, R. M., Moore, K. M., McLellan, W. A., Barco, S. G., Rotstein, D. S., & Moore, M. J. (2011). Lethal entanglement in baleen whales. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 96, 175–185. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao02385
Castaneda, M. G., Cuevas, M. V., Escalante, Á. H. F., & López, J. D. S. (2021). Turismo de avistamiento de cetáceos en Los Cóbanos, El Salvador: un primer acercamiento a la actividad. Realidad y Reflexión, 54, 123–139. https://doi.org/10.5377/ryr.v54i54.12071
Castaneda, M. G., Martínez de Navas, E., Ransome, N. L., Benito, P. C., Pineda, L., & Aguilar Villalta, L. M., (2022). Eventos de cetáceos enmallados en El Salvador. Revista Minerva, 5. https://minerva.sic.ues.edu.sv/index.php/Minerva/issue/view/11/14
Cheeseman, T., Southerland, K., Park, J., Olio, M., Flynn, K., Calambokidis, J., Jones, L., Garrigue, C., Frish-Jordán, A., Howards, A., Reade, W., Neilsen, J., Gabriele, C., & Clapham, P. (2021). Advanced image recognition: a fully automated, high-accuracy photo-identification matching system for humpback whales. Mammalian Biology, 102, 915–929. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00180-9
Dawbin, W. H. (1966). The seasonal migratory cycle of humpback whales. In Whales, dolphins and porpoises (pp. 145-169). University of California Press.
Herman, L. M., Pack, A. A., Rose, K., Craig, A., Herman, E. Y. K., Hakala, S., & Milette, A. (2011). Resightings of humpback whales in Hawaiian waters over spans of 10-32 years: Site fidelity, sex ratios, calving rates, female demographics, and the dynamics of social and behavioral roles of individuals. Marine Mammal Science, 27, 736–768. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00441.x
Katona, S. K., & Whitehead, H. P. (1981). Identifying humpback whales using their natural markings. Polar Record, 20, 439–444. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003224740000365X
Lebon, K. M., & Kelly, R. P. (2019). Evaluating alternatives to reduce whale entanglements in commercial Dungeness Crab fishing gear. Global Ecology and Conservation, 18, e00608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00608
Rasmussen, K., J. Calambokidis, & Steiger, G. (2012). Distribution and migratory destinations of humpback whales off the Pacific coast of Central America during the boreal winters of 1996–2003. Marine Mammal Science, 28, 267–279. https://doi/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2011.00529.x
Rasmussen, K., J. Calambokidis, & G. Steiger (2012). Distribution and migratory destinations of humpback whales off the Pacific coast of Central America during the boreal winters of 1996–2003. Marine Mammal Science, 28, 267–279. https://doi/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2011.00529.x
Stone, G. S., Florez-Gonzalez, L., Katona, S. (1990). Whale migration record. Nature, 346, 705. https://doi.org/10.1038/346705a0
Steiger, G. H., Calambokidis, J., Sears, R., Balcomb, K. C., & Cubbage, J. C. (1991). Movement of humpback whales between California and Costa Rica. Marine Mammal Science, 7, 306–310. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.1991.tb00105.x
Urbán R., J., Jaramillo L., A., Aguayo L., A., Ladrón de Guevara P., P., Salinas Z., M., Alvarez F., C., Medrano G., L., Jacobsen, J. K., Balcomb, K. C., Claridge, D. E., Calambokidis, J., Steiger, G. H., Straley, J. M., von Ziegesar, O., Waite, J. M., Mizroch, S., Dahlheim, M. E., Darling, J. D., & Baker, C. S. (2000). Migratory destinations of humpback whales wintering in the Mexican Pacific (Megaptera novaeangliae). Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, 2, 100–110. https://doi.org/10.47536/jcrm.v2i2.493
Comments
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.