| Summary: | Progress Code: completed Statement: Australian Antarctic Data Centre Note 2018-07-04: Original datasheet was reformatted to fit IPT Biodiversity.AQ standard. The new datasheet "blueWhales2015.csv" provides the dataset ID, record number, record by, preparation, location, country, event day, verbatim latitude and longitude, decimal latitude and longitude, sex, occurrence, and basis of record. The taxonomical organisation is provided to the lowest taxonomical rank that could be determined, after matched in WoRMS (World Register of Marine Species). Purpose The IWC-SORP Antarctic Blue Whale Project aims to derive an up-to-date and precise estimate of the abundance, distribution, and potential recovery of Antarctic blue whales. The most appropriate survey method for achieving this was found to be mark-recapture involving individual photographic and genetic identification, assisted by passive acoustic tracking. Genetic tagging from biopsy samples is a well-established method that enables the identification of individuals from genetic markers such as microsatellites or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Biopsy samples were collected from humpback (n=10) and blue whales (n=1) during the NZ/Aus Antarctic Ecosystems Voyage 2015. Biopsy collection from humpback and blue whales was attempted from the bow of the ship using Larsen rifles. Biopsying blue whales from the bow of the RV Tangaroa proved challenging due to the ship’s manoeuvrability and the limited capacity to change speed rapidly. Biopsy samples were split between All Protect (Qiagen), 70% ethanol, and freezing at -20C. . This dataset consists of an excel spreadsheet (biopsy_events.xlsx) summarising biopsy events containing the fields: Date_taken (in UTC) Location (general) where sample collected Latitude Longitude Individual ID Sample ID Name of sampler Sample type Preservative used Species sampled An excel spreadsheet (Biopsy sample info datasheet AEV 2015.xlsx) details the biopsy processing that occurred upon collection of a sample. Where possible, ...
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