NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE (Eubalaena glacialis): Western North Atlantic Stock
Individuals of the western North Atlantic right whale population range from wintering and calving grounds in coastal waters of the southeastern United States to summer feeding, nursery, and presumed mating grounds in New England waters and northward to the Bay of Fundy and the Scotian Shelf. Knowlto...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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1999
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.294.7723 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/sars/ao1999whnr-w.pdf |
| Summary: | Individuals of the western North Atlantic right whale population range from wintering and calving grounds in coastal waters of the southeastern United States to summer feeding, nursery, and presumed mating grounds in New England waters and northward to the Bay of Fundy and the Scotian Shelf. Knowlton et al. (1992) reported several long-distance movements as far north as Newfoundland, the Labrador Basin, and southeast of Greenland, indicating an extended range for at least some individuals and perhaps the existence of important habitat areas not presently well described. Likewise, a calving and wintering ground has been described for coastal waters of the southeastern USA; sightings from the Gulf of Mexico (Moore and Clark 1963; Schmidly et al. 1972), are either geographic anomalies or indicate a more extensive historic range. Whichever the case, 85 % of the population is unaccounted for during the winter. A small offshore survey effort in February 1996 reported three sightings in waters east of northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia: a mother/calf pair, a single individual, and a group of four juveniles. These sightings suggest a distribution further offshore than previously reported. Research results to date suggest five major habitats or congregation areas (southeastern United States coastal waters, Great South Channel, Cape Cod Bay, Bay of Fundy, and Scotian Shelf) for western North Atlantic right whales. However, movements within and between habitats may be more extensive than sometimes thought. Results from a few successfully attached satellite telemetry tags suggest that sightings separated by perhaps two weeks should not be assumed to indicate a stationary or resident animal. Instead, telemetry data have shown rather lengthy and somewhat distant excursions, including into deep water off the |
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