Killer whale (Orcinus orca) photo identification database, 2013-2015

• Main Authors: Roth, Jim, Ferguson, Steve, Matthews, Cory
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network 2016
• Subjects: Baffin Bay; Killer whale; Migration; Population dynamics; Spatial Distribution; Arctic; Newfoundland; Nunavut; Greenland; Tremblay; Admiralty Inlet; Tremblay Sound; Milne Inlet; Baffin; Iceland; Killer Whale; North Atlantic; Orca; Orcinus orca
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.21963/12641; https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch/?doi_id=12641

Killer whales are located by boat, usually after sightings reports are received from local hunters who tell us where to look for them. During all killer whale encounters, we photograph individual whales using digital SLR cameras. Images were collected using three Canon camera bodies (two EOS-ID Mark IV Digital 16.7 megapixel, and one EOS-IDX 18.0 megapixel) fixed with any of four Canon lenses (70-200 mm, 16-35 mm, 24-70 mm, or a 400 mm fixed lens). Photographs were taken at a shutter speed of no less than 1/1600. Killer whales can be identified based on unique markings of the saddle patch (the greyish area behind the dorsal fin) and eye patch (the large white oval patches on the head), as well as dorsal fin shape, which have notches and other patterns from healed injuries. All photos are added to a master photo ID database maintained since the early 2000s. : Purpose: Photographs of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Milne Inlet, Tremblay Sound and Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut were collected during several encounters in 2013 and 2015. During the encounters with 15-20+ animals, numerous photographs were taken, and one adult female was matched to an individual observed in Admiralty Inlet in 2009. This fieldwork was part of an ongoing field study of killer whales in the Eastern Canadian Arctic (ECA) using satellite telemetry, biopsy, and photo identification to learn more about killer whale distribution and migration, diet, social structure, and population size. : Summary: Natural markings, including the unique shape and size of the dorsal fin, saddle patches, and eye patches, can be used to distinguish individual killer whales (Ford et al. 2000). Other markings, such as scars, that remain permanent over an individual's lifetime can also be used. For example, many killer whales have nicks in the trailing edge of their dorsal fin as well as scars that can be used for identification. Photographed whales are compared to previously identified individuals in the killer whale photo-identification catalogue, and is added as a re-sighting of an individual (i.e. matched a whale sighted during a previous encounter), or as a new individual. Re-sightings provide insight into the individual's movements throughout the ECA either within the same year or between years. Comparison of the Arctic killer whale photo-identification catalogue to similar catalogues of killer whales in other regions of the North Atlantic (e.g. Newfoundland/Labrador, West Greenland, Azores, Iceland) will determine if Arctic killer whales are also present in these regions.