In plane sight: a mark-recapture analysis of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis are most commonly observed along the eastern seaboard of North America; however, their distribution and occupancy patterns have become less predictable in the last decade. This study explored the individual right whales captured photographically from b...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:7cb1752e64394188bb8b6439f94de6a1 2023-05-15T16:08:19+02:00 In plane sight: a mark-recapture analysis of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence LM Crowe MW Brown PJ Corkeron PK Hamilton C Ramp S Ratelle ASM Vanderlaan TVN Cole 2021-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01156 https://doaj.org/article/7cb1752e64394188bb8b6439f94de6a1 EN eng Inter-Research https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v46/p227-251/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01156 https://doaj.org/article/7cb1752e64394188bb8b6439f94de6a1 Endangered Species Research, Vol 46, Pp 227-251 (2021) Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01156 2022-12-30T20:26:34Z North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis are most commonly observed along the eastern seaboard of North America; however, their distribution and occupancy patterns have become less predictable in the last decade. This study explored the individual right whales captured photographically from both dedicated and opportunistic sources from 2015 to 2019 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL), an area previously understudied for right whale presence. A total of 187 individuals, including reproductive females, were identified from all sources over this period. In years when more substantial survey effort occurred (2017-2019), similar numbers of individuals were sighted (mean = 133, SD = 1.5), and dedicated mark-recapture aerial surveys were highly effective at capturing almost all of the whales estimated in the region (2019: N = 137, 95% CI = 135-147). A high rate of inter-annual return was observed between all 5 study years, with 95% of the animals seen in 2019 sighted previously. Capture rates indicated potential residencies as long as 5 mo, and observed behaviors included feeding and socializing. Individuals were observed in the northern and southern GSL, regions divided by a major shipping corridor. Analyses suggest that individuals mostly moved less than 9.1 km d-1, although rates of up to 79.8 km d-1 were also calculated. The GSL is currently an important habitat for 40% of this Critically Endangered species, which underscores how crucial protection measures are in this area. Article in Journal/Newspaper Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Endangered Species Research 46 227 251 |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
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Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 LM Crowe MW Brown PJ Corkeron PK Hamilton C Ramp S Ratelle ASM Vanderlaan TVN Cole In plane sight: a mark-recapture analysis of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence |
topic_facet |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
description |
North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis are most commonly observed along the eastern seaboard of North America; however, their distribution and occupancy patterns have become less predictable in the last decade. This study explored the individual right whales captured photographically from both dedicated and opportunistic sources from 2015 to 2019 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL), an area previously understudied for right whale presence. A total of 187 individuals, including reproductive females, were identified from all sources over this period. In years when more substantial survey effort occurred (2017-2019), similar numbers of individuals were sighted (mean = 133, SD = 1.5), and dedicated mark-recapture aerial surveys were highly effective at capturing almost all of the whales estimated in the region (2019: N = 137, 95% CI = 135-147). A high rate of inter-annual return was observed between all 5 study years, with 95% of the animals seen in 2019 sighted previously. Capture rates indicated potential residencies as long as 5 mo, and observed behaviors included feeding and socializing. Individuals were observed in the northern and southern GSL, regions divided by a major shipping corridor. Analyses suggest that individuals mostly moved less than 9.1 km d-1, although rates of up to 79.8 km d-1 were also calculated. The GSL is currently an important habitat for 40% of this Critically Endangered species, which underscores how crucial protection measures are in this area. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
LM Crowe MW Brown PJ Corkeron PK Hamilton C Ramp S Ratelle ASM Vanderlaan TVN Cole |
author_facet |
LM Crowe MW Brown PJ Corkeron PK Hamilton C Ramp S Ratelle ASM Vanderlaan TVN Cole |
author_sort |
LM Crowe |
title |
In plane sight: a mark-recapture analysis of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence |
title_short |
In plane sight: a mark-recapture analysis of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence |
title_full |
In plane sight: a mark-recapture analysis of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence |
title_fullStr |
In plane sight: a mark-recapture analysis of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence |
title_full_unstemmed |
In plane sight: a mark-recapture analysis of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence |
title_sort |
in plane sight: a mark-recapture analysis of north atlantic right whales in the gulf of st. lawrence |
publisher |
Inter-Research |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01156 https://doaj.org/article/7cb1752e64394188bb8b6439f94de6a1 |
genre |
Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic |
op_source |
Endangered Species Research, Vol 46, Pp 227-251 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v46/p227-251/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01156 https://doaj.org/article/7cb1752e64394188bb8b6439f94de6a1 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01156 |
container_title |
Endangered Species Research |
container_volume |
46 |
container_start_page |
227 |
op_container_end_page |
251 |
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1766404367602155520 |