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Gulf of Maine humpback whale satellite tagging project: 2011

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Availability: Creative Commons License This dataset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Notes: Only data aggregated per 1-degree cell are available through OBIS. For access to additional data, the provider needs to be contacted.

Description
Data of satellite-monitored humpbakc whales in Gulf of Maine. more

Satellite-monitored radio tags have yielded important information for the conservation and management of large whales. Tags provide far greater detail on large whale movements and habitat use than more traditional studies, and past tagging projects have revealed the existence of entirely unknown whale habitats. However, it is not uncommon for tags to stop transmitting within days to months of deployment, and follow-up studies on the individuals have been limited. Further work is needed to improve the scientific and conservation value of this technology. In this study, satellite tagging and its effects are being examined among Gulf of Maine humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). This is among the best studied humpback whale populations. Its strong fidelity to particular feeding sites, long feeding ground residency and strong overlap with observer effort that are expected to result in repeated sightings of tagged animals, and a maximized resighting potential in future years. The project will also produce new information on humpback whale movement and habitat use in relation to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The project is being undertaken by a multi-institutional team with expertise in whale behavior, ecology, anatomy, physiology, telemetry and wound healing processes. It includes scientists from the following institutions:
  • Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) (http://www.antarctica.gov.au/science)
  • Cascadia Research Collective (CRC) (http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/)
  • Marine Mammal Center (MMC) (http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/)
  • National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) (http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/)
  • Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) (www.coastalstudies.org)

Research is being performed under NOAA scientific permit #14245. Primary research funding comes from NOAA and Exxon through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. This is a project of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP).


Scope
Themes:
Biology > Mammals
Keywords:
Marine/Coastal, ANW, USA, Maine Gulf, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)

Geographical coverage
ANW, USA, Maine Gulf [Marine Regions]

Temporal coverage
25 July 2011 - 18 October 2011

Taxonomic coverage
Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) [WoRMS]

Contributors
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; National Marine Mammal Laboratory, moredata provider
Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), moredata provider
Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS), moredata provider
Cascadia Research Collective, moredata provider
Marine Mammal Center (MMC), moredata provider

Related datasets
Published in:
OBIS-SEAMAP: Spatial Ecological Analysis of Megavertebrate Populations, more

Dataset status: Completed
Data type: Data
Data origin: Research: field survey
Metadatarecord created: 2012-11-14
Information last updated: 2015-06-16
All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy