Errors in identification using natural markings: rates, sources, and effects on capture–recapture estimates of abundance

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Stevick, Peter T, Palsbøll, Per J, Smith, Tim D, Bravington, Mark V, Hammond, Philip S
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2001
• Subjects: Petersen; Megaptera novaeangliae; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f01-131; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f01-131

The results of a double-marking experiment using natural markings and microsatellite genetic markers to identify humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) confirm that natural markings are a reliable means of identifying individuals on a large scale. Of 1410 instances of double tagging, there were 41...