| Summary: | Progress Code: completed Purpose Individual blue whales are identifiable from unique patterns of mottled pigment on both sides of the body, and also from variations in dorsal fin shape and any permanent scars that may be present. Individual identification allows the production of sightings histories required for a mark-recapture approach to estimating abundance. These data will also provide information on blue whale population structure and movement. The IWC Southern Ocean Research Partnership has developed guidelines to enable the photo identification of blue whales. These guidelines can be found here: http://www.marinemammals.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/141482/Blue_photoID_guide_2014.3.pdf A spreadsheet detailing the filenames of the best left and/or right photos of blue whales photographed and individually identified during the Antarctic blue whale voyage 2013. The 'best' photos are also included as jpegs. See http://www.marinemammals.gov.au/sorp/antarctic-blue-whale-project for further detail regarding the Antarctic blue whale voyage.
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