Long-term individual sighting history database: an effective tool to monitor satellite tag effects on cetaceans

• Main Authors: Gendron, D., Serrano, I. Martinez, de la Cruz, A. Ugalde, Calambokidis, J., Mate, B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; unknown
• Published: Inter Research
• Subjects: Blue whale
• Online Access: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/jq085q37z

During the last 3 decades, tagging technology has been used to study different aspects of cetacean ecology. Tags implanted in animal’s blubber, muscle and surrounding tissue have produced successful results, providing information on long-term movements. However, apart from the reports of ‘divots’ (depressions) and swelling at the tag sites in re-sighted large whales, little has been published about the long-term effects of tagging. Based on sighting history databases of photo-identified blue whales, we monitored the wound site of a satellite tag on an adult female blue whale over a period of 16 yr (1995 to 2011). This report describes the swelling reaction to a broken subdermal attachment from a tag designed early in the evolution of large whale tagging. The tag attachment remained embedded for a decade (much longer than expected), and may have affected the female’s reproductive success during this period. The whale’s calving history showed a total of 3 calves; 2 were prior to, and one occurred after, the swelling period (1999 to 2007). We demonstrate the value of long-term monitoring programs in evaluating tag impacts, especially on endangered species. This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by Inter Research. The published article can be found at: http://www.int-res.com/journals/esr/esr-home/ Keywords: Long-term effect, Monitoring, Blue whale, Satellite tag, Calving interval