Seasonal occurrence and annual return of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, in the southern Gulf of Maine

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Clapham, Phillip J., Baraff, Lisa S., Carlson, Carole A., Christian, Margaret A., Mattila, David K., Mayo, Charles A., Murphy, Margaret A., Pittman, Sharon
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1993
• Subjects: Midwinter; Megaptera novaeangliae
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z93-063; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z93-063

A study of 518 individually identified humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the southern Gulf of Maine between 1979 and 1988 showed high rates of both within-season occurrence and annual return. On average, 77.3% of whales were resighted on more than 1 day during the year (maximum 83 days), w...