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Segregation of migration by feeding ground origin in North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2003

Peter T. Stevick ,
Judith Allen ,
Martine Bérubé ,
Phillip J. Clapham ,
Steven K. Katona ,
Finn Larsen ,
Jon Lien ,
David K. Mattila ,
Per J. Palsbøll  and
Jooke Robbins
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Peter T. Stevick
Affiliation:
Sea Mammal Research Unit, Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, Scotland, U.K.
Judith Allen
Affiliation:
College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, U.S.A.
Martine Bérubé
Affiliation:
Department of Population Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Phillip J. Clapham
Affiliation:
Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543-1026, U.S.A.
Steven K. Katona
Affiliation:
College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, U.S.A.
Finn Larsen
Affiliation:
Greenland Institute for Natural Resources, P.O. Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
Jon Lien
Affiliation:
Biopsychology Programme and Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St Johns, Newfoundland A1C 5S7, Canada
David K. Mattila
Affiliation:
Center for Coastal Studies, PO Box 1036, Provincetown, MA 02657, U.S.A.
Per J. Palsbøll
Affiliation:
Department of Population Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Jooke Robbins
Affiliation:
Center for Coastal Studies, PO Box 1036, Provincetown, MA 02657, U.S.A.
Jóhann Sigurjónsson
Affiliation:
Marine Research Institute, Skulagata 4, P.O. Box 1390, 121 Reykjavik, Iceland
Tim D. Smith
Affiliation:
Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543-1026, U.S.A.
Nils Øien
Affiliation:
Institute for Marine Research, P.O. Box 1870, Nordnes, 5024 Bergen, Norway
Philip S. Hammond
Affiliation:
Sea Mammal Research Unit, Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, Scotland, U.K.
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Abstract

Results from a large-scale, capture—recapture study of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in the North Atlantic show that migration timing is influenced by feeding ground origin. No significant differences were observed in the number of individuals from any feeding area that were re-sighted in the common breeding area in the West Indies. However, there was a relationship between the proportion (logit transformed) of West Indies sightings and longitude (r2=0.97, F1,3=98.27, P=0.0022) suggesting that individuals feeding farther to the east are less likely to winter in the West Indies. A relationship was also detected between sighting date in the West Indies and feeding area. Mean sighting dates in the West Indies for individuals identified in the Gulf of Maine and eastern Canada were significantly earlier than those for animals identified in Greenland, Iceland and Norway (9.97 days, t179=3.53, P=0.00054). There was also evidence for sexual segregation in migration; males were seen earlier on the breeding ground than were females (6.63 days, t105=1.98, P=0.050). This pattern was consistently observed for animals from all feeding areas; a combined model showed a significant effect for both sex (F1=5.942, P=0.017) and feeding area (F3=4.756, P=0.0038). The temporal difference in occupancy of the West Indies between individuals from different feeding areas, coupled with sexual differences in migratory patterns, presents the possibility that there are reduced mating opportunities between individuals from different high latitude areas.

Keywords

migrationsegregationbreeding groundsfeeding groundsAtlantic OceanMegaptera novaeangliae
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Zoology , Volume 259 , Issue 3 , March 2003 , pp. 231 - 237
Copyright
2003 The Zoological Society of London

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