Seasonal distribution and foraging occurrence of Cook Inlet beluga whales based on passive acoustic monitoring
A paucity of information on the basic biology and ecology of Cook Inlet beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas remains a decade after the species was listed as endangered in 2008. The causes of its continued decline remain unclear. This lack of knowledge limits our understanding of, and ability to mana...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:da44bab28df04d05acb7852ccce084b2 2023-05-15T15:41:43+02:00 Seasonal distribution and foraging occurrence of Cook Inlet beluga whales based on passive acoustic monitoring Castellote, M Small, RJ Lammers, MO Jenniges, J Mondragon, J Garner, CD Atkinson, S Delevaux, J Graham, R Westerholt, D 2020-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01023 https://doaj.org/article/da44bab28df04d05acb7852ccce084b2 EN eng Inter-Research https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v41/p225-243/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01023 https://doaj.org/article/da44bab28df04d05acb7852ccce084b2 Endangered Species Research, Vol 41, Pp 225-243 (2020) Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01023 2022-12-31T11:30:14Z A paucity of information on the basic biology and ecology of Cook Inlet beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas remains a decade after the species was listed as endangered in 2008. The causes of its continued decline remain unclear. This lack of knowledge limits our understanding of, and ability to manage, potential threats impeding the recovery of this endangered population. Seasonal distribution and foraging ecology, particularly during winter, are currently among the most basic gaps in knowledge. Therefore, we conducted a year-round passive acoustic monitoring program from 2008-2013, monitoring 13 locations within the belugas’ critical habitat. We identified seasonal occurrence patterns across years at most locations. Detections were higher in the upper inlet during summer, peaking in known concentration areas. The occurrence of whales in the upper inlet when ice coverage peaked during winter was more prevalent than previously suggested. We documented seasonal differences in foraging habitat preference, with foraging behavior more prevalent during summer, particularly near upper inlet rivers, than during winter. Foraging peaks coincided with the presence of different anadromous fish runs from spring to fall. Low levels of feeding activity in winter suggest a lack of feeding aggregation areas, feeding in non-monitored offshore waters, or increased effort on benthic prey. These results represent a substantial contribution to our knowledge of Cook Inlet beluga seasonal distribution and foraging ecology, which will strengthen conservation and management strategies and thus more effectively promote recovery of this endangered population. Article in Journal/Newspaper Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Endangered Species Research 41 225 243 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
spellingShingle |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 Castellote, M Small, RJ Lammers, MO Jenniges, J Mondragon, J Garner, CD Atkinson, S Delevaux, J Graham, R Westerholt, D Seasonal distribution and foraging occurrence of Cook Inlet beluga whales based on passive acoustic monitoring |
topic_facet |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
description |
A paucity of information on the basic biology and ecology of Cook Inlet beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas remains a decade after the species was listed as endangered in 2008. The causes of its continued decline remain unclear. This lack of knowledge limits our understanding of, and ability to manage, potential threats impeding the recovery of this endangered population. Seasonal distribution and foraging ecology, particularly during winter, are currently among the most basic gaps in knowledge. Therefore, we conducted a year-round passive acoustic monitoring program from 2008-2013, monitoring 13 locations within the belugas’ critical habitat. We identified seasonal occurrence patterns across years at most locations. Detections were higher in the upper inlet during summer, peaking in known concentration areas. The occurrence of whales in the upper inlet when ice coverage peaked during winter was more prevalent than previously suggested. We documented seasonal differences in foraging habitat preference, with foraging behavior more prevalent during summer, particularly near upper inlet rivers, than during winter. Foraging peaks coincided with the presence of different anadromous fish runs from spring to fall. Low levels of feeding activity in winter suggest a lack of feeding aggregation areas, feeding in non-monitored offshore waters, or increased effort on benthic prey. These results represent a substantial contribution to our knowledge of Cook Inlet beluga seasonal distribution and foraging ecology, which will strengthen conservation and management strategies and thus more effectively promote recovery of this endangered population. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Castellote, M Small, RJ Lammers, MO Jenniges, J Mondragon, J Garner, CD Atkinson, S Delevaux, J Graham, R Westerholt, D |
author_facet |
Castellote, M Small, RJ Lammers, MO Jenniges, J Mondragon, J Garner, CD Atkinson, S Delevaux, J Graham, R Westerholt, D |
author_sort |
Castellote, M |
title |
Seasonal distribution and foraging occurrence of Cook Inlet beluga whales based on passive acoustic monitoring |
title_short |
Seasonal distribution and foraging occurrence of Cook Inlet beluga whales based on passive acoustic monitoring |
title_full |
Seasonal distribution and foraging occurrence of Cook Inlet beluga whales based on passive acoustic monitoring |
title_fullStr |
Seasonal distribution and foraging occurrence of Cook Inlet beluga whales based on passive acoustic monitoring |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seasonal distribution and foraging occurrence of Cook Inlet beluga whales based on passive acoustic monitoring |
title_sort |
seasonal distribution and foraging occurrence of cook inlet beluga whales based on passive acoustic monitoring |
publisher |
Inter-Research |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01023 https://doaj.org/article/da44bab28df04d05acb7852ccce084b2 |
genre |
Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
genre_facet |
Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
op_source |
Endangered Species Research, Vol 41, Pp 225-243 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v41/p225-243/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01023 https://doaj.org/article/da44bab28df04d05acb7852ccce084b2 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01023 |
container_title |
Endangered Species Research |
container_volume |
41 |
container_start_page |
225 |
op_container_end_page |
243 |
_version_ |
1766374603434754048 |