Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T19:17:36.076Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Humpback whales wintering at Pitcairn Island, South Pacific

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2012

Catharine Horswill  and
Jennifer A. Jackson
Catharine Horswill*
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
Jennifer A. Jackson
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: C. Horswill, British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Here we present the first documentation of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Pitcairn Island region. Land-based surveys were conducted from Pitcairn Island from June 2007 to August 2007 in order to monitor the presence of humpback whales in the surrounding near-shore waters. The highest sighting frequencies occurred in late August, with mother and calf pairs also becoming more prevalent during this period. Observation effort lasted 80.56 hours, totalling 35 sightings of 49 whales. There is no anecdotal history of humpback whales at Pitcairn Island previous to 1990 which may suggest a recent geographical shift in the easterly range of Oceania humpbacks. Our findings extend the known easterly range of humpbacks within Oceania (western South Pacific Ocean).

Keywords

humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaePitcairn IslandOceania
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 5 , August 2012 , e90
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Albertson, R., Olavarría, C., Steel, D., Flórez-González, L., Garrigue, C., Hauser, N., Poole, M., Anderson, M., Bannister, J., Jackson, J.A., Antolik, C. and Baker, C.S. (in press) Mixed-stock analysis of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Antarctic feeding areas and South Pacific breeding grounds. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management.Google Scholar
Albertson-Gibb, R., Acevedo, J., Olavarría, C., Aguayo-Lobo, A., Poole, M.M. and Baker, C.S. (2009) Photo-identification comparison of humpback whales from the Antarctic Peninsula/Strait of Magellan and French Polynesia (Breeding Stock F). In Paper SC/61/SH13 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 2009, 7 pp.Google Scholar
Bannister, J.L. (1994) Continued increase in humpback whales off Western Australia. Reports of the International Whaling Commission 44, 309–310.Google Scholar
Childerhouse, S., Jackson, J.A., Baker, C.S., Gales, N., Clapham, P.J. and Brownell, R.L. Jr (2008) Megaptera novaeangliae (Oceania subpopulation). In IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. Available at www.iucnredlist.org (accessed 11 April 2012).Google Scholar
Chittleborough, R.G. (1965) Dynamics of two populations of the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski). Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 16, 33–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clapham, P.J. and Baker, C.S. (2001) Modern whaling. In Perrin, W.F., Würsig, B. and Thewissen, J.G.M. (eds) Encylopedia of marine mammals. New York: Academic Press, pp. 1328–1332.Google Scholar
Constantine, R., Allen, J., Beeman, P., Burns, D., Charrassin, J.B., Childerhouse, S., Double, M.C., Ensor, P., Franklin, T., Franklin, W., Gales, N., Garrigue, C., Gates, E., Gibbs, N., Hutsel, A., Jenner, C., Jenner, M., Kaufman, G., Macie, A., Mattila, D.K., Oosterman, A., Paton, D., Robbins, J., Schmitt, N., Stevick, P., Tagarino, A. and Thompson, K. (2011) Comprehensive photo-identification matching of Antarctic Area V humpback whales. In Paper SC/63/SH16 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, June 2011, 11 pp.Google Scholar
Constantine, R., Jackson, J. A., Steel, D., Baker, C.S., Brooks, L., Burns, D., Clapham, P., Hauser, N., Madon, B., Mattila, D., Oremus, M., Poole, M., Robbins, J., Thompson, K. and Garrigue, C. (in press) Abundance of humpback whales in Oceania using photo-identification and microsatellite genotyping. Marine Ecology Progress Series.Google Scholar
Dawbin, W.H. (1966) The seasonal migration of humpback whales. In Norris, K.S. (ed.) Whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, pp. 145–170.Google Scholar
FCO (British Foreign and Commonwealth Office) (2007) Country profile: Pitcairn Islands (British overseas territory). Available at www.fco.gov.uk (accessed 1 October 2007).Google Scholar
Ford, H. (1996) Pitcairn: port of call. Angwin, CA: Hawser Titles.Google Scholar
Franklin, W., Franklin, T., Brooks, L., Gibbs, N., Childerhouse, S., Smith, F., Burns, D., Paton, D., Garrigue, C., Constantine, R., Poole, M.M., Hauser, N., Donoghue, M., Russell, K., Mattila, D.K., Robbins, J., Oosterman, A., Leaper, R., Harrison, P., Baker, C.S. and Clapham, P. (in press) Antarctic waters (Area V) near the Balleny Islands are a summer feeding area for some Eastern Australia (E (i) breeding group) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Journal of Cetacean Research and Management.Google Scholar
Gales, N., Double, M.C., Robinson, S., Jenner, C., Jenner, M., King, E., Gedamke, J., Paton, D. and Raymond, B. (2009) Satellite tracking of southbound East Australian humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae): challenging the feast or famine model for migrating whales. In Paper SC/61/SH17 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 2009, 12 pp.Google Scholar
Gannier, A. (2004) The large-scale distribution of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering in French Polynesia during 1997–2002. Aquatic Mammals 30, 227–236.Google Scholar
Garrigue, C., Aguayo, A., Amante-Helweg, V.L.U., Baker, C.S., Caballero, S., Clapham, P., Constantine, R., Denkinger, J., Donoghue, M., Florez-Gonzalez, L., Greaves, J., Hauser, N., Olavarria, C., Pairoa, C., Peckham, H. and Poole, M. (2002) Movements of humpback whales in Oceania, South Pacific. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 4, 255–260.Google Scholar
Garrigue, C., Franklin, T., Russell, K., Burns, D., Poole, M., Paton, D., Hauser, N., Oremus, M., Constantine, R., Childerhouse, S., Mattila, D., Gibbs, N., Franklin, W., Robbins, J., Clapham, P. and Baker, C.S. (in press) First assessment of interchange of humpback whales between Oceania and the east coast of Australia. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management.Google Scholar
Garrigue, C., Zerbini, A.N., Geyer, Y., Heide-Jørgensen, M.-P., Hanaoka, W. and Clapham, P. (2010) Movements of satellite-monitored humpback whales from New Caledonia. Journal of Mammalogy 91, 109–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibbs, N., Paton, D., Childerhouse, S. and Clapham, P. (2006) Assessment of the current abundance of humpback whales in the Lomaiviti Island Group of Fiji and a comparison with historical data. In Paper SC/A06/HW34 submitted to the IWC southern hemisphere humpback workshop, Hobart, April 2006.Google Scholar
Hauser, N., Zerbini, A.N., Geyer, Y., Heide-Jørgensen, M.-P. and Clapham, P. (2010) Movements of satellite-monitored humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, from the Cook Islands. Marine Mammal Science 26, 679–685.Google Scholar
Herman, L.M. (1979) Humpback whales in Hawaiian waters: a study in historical ecology. Pacific Science 33, 1–15.Google Scholar
IWC (1998) Report of the Scientific Committee. Reports of the International Whaling Commission 48, 53–118.Google Scholar
IWC (2010) Report of the Scientific Committee, Annex H. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 11 (Supplement 2), 218–251.Google Scholar
Olavarría, C., Baker, C.S., Garrigue, C., Poole, M., Hauser, N., Caballero, S., Flórez-González, L., Brasseur, M., Bannister, J.L., Capella, J., Clapham, P., Dodemont, R., Donoghue, M., Jenner, C., Jenner, M.-N., Moro, D., Oremus, M., Paton, D., Rosenbaum, H. and Russell, K. (2007) Population structure of the South Pacific humpback whales and the origin of the eastern Polynesian breeding grounds. Marine Ecology Progress Series 330, 257–268.Google Scholar
Paterson, R., Paterson, P. and Cato, D.H. (1994) The status of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in east Australia thirty years after whaling. Biological Conservation 70, 135–142.Google Scholar
Poole, M.M. (2002) Occurrence of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in French Polynesia 1988–2001. In Paper SC/54/H14 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 2002, 16 pp.Google Scholar
Poole, M.M. (2006) An update on the occurrence of humpback whales in French Polynesia. In Paper SC/A06/HW60 submitted to the IWC southern hemisphere humpback workshop, Hobart, April 2006, 12 pp.Google Scholar
Reeves, R.R., Leatherwood, S., Stone, G.S. and Eldredge, L.G. (1999) Marine mammals in the area served by the South Pacific regional environment programme (SPREP). Apia, Samoa: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).Google Scholar
Robbins, J., Dalla Rosa, L., Allen, J.M., Mattila, D.K., Secchi, E.R., Friedlaender, A.S., Stevick, P.T. and Nowacek, D.P. (2011) Return movement of a humpback whale between the Antarctic Peninsula and American Samoa: a seasonal migration record. Endangered Species Research 13, 117–121.Google Scholar
Rock, J., Pastene, L.A., Kaufman, G., Forestell, P.H., Matsuoka, K. and Allen, J. (2006) A note on East Australia Group V Stock humpback whale movement between feeding and breeding areas based on photo-identification. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8, 301–305.Google Scholar
Steel, D., Garrigue, C., Poole, M., Hauser, N., Olavarría, C., Flórez-González, L., Constantine, R., Caballero, S., Thiele, D., Paton, D.A., Clapham, P.J., Donoghue, M. and Baker, C.S. (2008) Migratory connections between humpback whales from South Pacific breeding grounds and Antarctic feeding areas based on genotype matching. In Paper SC/60/SH13 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 2008, 9 pp.Google Scholar