Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae(Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground
Abstract Whale watching can affect cetacean behaviour, and can in some cases lead to long‐term negative effects on survival and reproduction. The waters of Juneau (Alaska) represent a summer feeding ground for the Central North Pacific stock of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781...
Published in: | Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Other Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2018
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Faqc.2909 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aqc.2909 |
id |
crwiley:10.1002/aqc.2909 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1002/aqc.2909 2024-09-15T18:11:16+00:00 Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae(Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground Di Clemente, Jacopo Christiansen, Fredrik Pirotta, Enrico Steckler, Dave Wahlberg, Magnus Pearson, Heidi Christine Syddansk Universitet Natur og Univers, Det Frie Forskningsråd 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Faqc.2909 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aqc.2909 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems volume 28, issue 4, page 810-820 ISSN 1052-7613 1099-0755 journal-article 2018 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 2024-08-09T04:31:24Z Abstract Whale watching can affect cetacean behaviour, and can in some cases lead to long‐term negative effects on survival and reproduction. The waters of Juneau (Alaska) represent a summer feeding ground for the Central North Pacific stock of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781). The recent dramatic expansion of the local whale‐watching industry has raised concerns over the potential negative impact of such activity on the whales. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of whale‐watching vessels on humpback whale behaviour in Juneau. From June to September 2015, land‐based observations were conducted to record whale behaviour in the presence and absence of vessels. Markov chains and model simulations showed that the presence of vessels was not associated with a reduction in the time spent feeding. Whales exhibited more surface‐active behaviour and travelled less in the presence of vessels. The lack of an overt response of feeding whales to whale‐watching disturbance could result from the importance of the Southeast Alaska study region as a feeding ground, which could make the whales less apt to interrupt feeding under disturbance; however, The high proportion of travelling observed may indicate that the study area represents a travelling corridor between other, localized feeding areas. The increase in surface‐active behaviour may represent a response to vessel presence that could potentially lead to energetic consequences. The large number of whale‐watching vessels operating could lead to the increased tolerance of whales towards whale‐watching activities. The lack of responses in this study may suggest that the reactions of whales are context specific, depending on their previous experience with vessels and their foraging behaviour, for example. Subtler negative effects could still occur, however, and a prolonged monitoring programme is required to assess less overt behavioural responses of whales over time. Article in Journal/Newspaper Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Alaska Wiley Online Library Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 28 4 810 820 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Whale watching can affect cetacean behaviour, and can in some cases lead to long‐term negative effects on survival and reproduction. The waters of Juneau (Alaska) represent a summer feeding ground for the Central North Pacific stock of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781). The recent dramatic expansion of the local whale‐watching industry has raised concerns over the potential negative impact of such activity on the whales. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of whale‐watching vessels on humpback whale behaviour in Juneau. From June to September 2015, land‐based observations were conducted to record whale behaviour in the presence and absence of vessels. Markov chains and model simulations showed that the presence of vessels was not associated with a reduction in the time spent feeding. Whales exhibited more surface‐active behaviour and travelled less in the presence of vessels. The lack of an overt response of feeding whales to whale‐watching disturbance could result from the importance of the Southeast Alaska study region as a feeding ground, which could make the whales less apt to interrupt feeding under disturbance; however, The high proportion of travelling observed may indicate that the study area represents a travelling corridor between other, localized feeding areas. The increase in surface‐active behaviour may represent a response to vessel presence that could potentially lead to energetic consequences. The large number of whale‐watching vessels operating could lead to the increased tolerance of whales towards whale‐watching activities. The lack of responses in this study may suggest that the reactions of whales are context specific, depending on their previous experience with vessels and their foraging behaviour, for example. Subtler negative effects could still occur, however, and a prolonged monitoring programme is required to assess less overt behavioural responses of whales over time. |
author2 |
Syddansk Universitet Natur og Univers, Det Frie Forskningsråd |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Di Clemente, Jacopo Christiansen, Fredrik Pirotta, Enrico Steckler, Dave Wahlberg, Magnus Pearson, Heidi Christine |
spellingShingle |
Di Clemente, Jacopo Christiansen, Fredrik Pirotta, Enrico Steckler, Dave Wahlberg, Magnus Pearson, Heidi Christine Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae(Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
author_facet |
Di Clemente, Jacopo Christiansen, Fredrik Pirotta, Enrico Steckler, Dave Wahlberg, Magnus Pearson, Heidi Christine |
author_sort |
Di Clemente, Jacopo |
title |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae(Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_short |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae(Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_full |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae(Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_fullStr |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae(Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae(Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_sort |
effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, megaptera novaeangliae(borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Faqc.2909 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aqc.2909 |
genre |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Alaska |
genre_facet |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Alaska |
op_source |
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems volume 28, issue 4, page 810-820 ISSN 1052-7613 1099-0755 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 |
container_title |
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems |
container_volume |
28 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
810 |
op_container_end_page |
820 |
_version_ |
1810448844898435072 |