Radio Tagging of Finback Whales - Iceland, June-July 1980.

• Main Author: Watkins,William A
• Other Authors: WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION MASS
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1981
• Subjects: Anatomy and Physiology; Biological Oceanography; *TRACKING; *WHALES; ATTACHMENT; BEHAVIOR; INFLAMMATION; NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN; SKIN(ANATOMY); IMPLANTATION; HEALING; GREENLAND; ICELAND; STRAITS; ANIMAL MIGRATION; RADIO BEACONS; Balaenoptera physalus; Denmark Strait; WUNR083004; Greenland; Iceland; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA096056; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA096056

In June and July, 1980, finback whales (Balaenoptera physalus) were radio tagged in the waters west of Iceland. One double-tagged finback was tracked continuously with shipboard receiving gear for 9-1/2 days, for over 2095 km, during which it swam with from one to seven companion finbacks to within 130 km of Greenland. The tagging and tracking systems worked well. New behavioral information about finbacks was gathered, and new questions were raised concerning this population's movements and distribution. Whale integument is discussed and the potential retention of transcutaneous whale tags is analyzed. (Author)