IMIS

The North Atlantic Finback Whale Catalogue (NAFWC) is a sightings based, life history dataset of individual finback whales, inhabiting the western North Atlantic Ocean. Established in 1986 as a collaborative repository for several independent collections of photographically-identified finback whales, the NAFWC is comprised of photographic sightings, referenced by a whale identifying number, and date and location of the sighting. Individual identifications are based on morphological variations in dorsal fin shape, body pigment and patterns of scarring which provide a matrix of characters on which to qualify the identification as outlined in Agler et al. (1992). The majority of Catalogue sightings are obtained from coastal waters of the Gulf of Maine, during summer months from 1978 to the present, aboard both opportunistic and directed survey vessels. Reference: Agler, B.A., K.A. Robertson, D. DenDanto, S.K. Katona, J.M. Allen, S.E. Frohock, I.E. Seipt and R. Bowman. 1992. The use of photographic identification for studying individual fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Gulf of Maine. Rep. Int. Wal. Commn 42:711-722.