POPULATION SIZE
The killer whale is distributed worldwide from tropical to polar regions (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983). Sightings of these animals in the northern Gulf of Mexico occur primarily over the deeper waters off the continental shelf [Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) unpublished data]. Killer wha...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.294.4754 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/sars/ao1995whki-gmxn.pdf |
| Summary: | The killer whale is distributed worldwide from tropical to polar regions (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983). Sightings of these animals in the northern Gulf of Mexico occur primarily over the deeper waters off the continental shelf [Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) unpublished data]. Killer whales were seen only in the summer during recent seasonal GulfCet aerial surveys of the northern Gulf of Mexico during 1993-1995 (Davis et al., in preparation) and in the late spring during vessel surveys (SEFSC unpublished data). Different stocks have been identified in the northeastern Pacific based on morphological, behavioral, and genetic characteristics (Bigg et al. 1990; Hoelzel 1991). There is no information on stock differentiation for the Atlantic population, although an analysis of vocalizations of killer whales from Iceland and Norway indicated that stocks from these areas may represent different stocks (Moore et al. 1988). |
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