Autumn movements of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from Svalbard, Norway, revealed by satellite tracking

• Published in: Scientific Reports
• Main Authors: Lydersen, Christian, Vacquié-Garcia, Jade, Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter, Øien, Nils, Guinet, Christophe, Kovacs, Kit M.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group UK 2020
• Subjects: Article; Norway; Svalbard; Balaenoptera physalus
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7550606/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33046805; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73996-z

Insight into animal movements is essential for understanding habitat use by individuals as well as population processes and species life-history strategies. In this study, we instrumented 25 fin whales with ARGOS satellite-transmitters in Svalbard, Norway, to study their movement patterns and behaviour (Area Restricted Search (ARS), transiting or unknown) during boreal autumn/early winter. Ten of the whales stayed in the tagging area (most northerly location: 81.68°N) for their entire tracking periods (max 45 days). The other 15 whales moved in a south-westerly direction; the longest track ended off the coast of northern Africa (> 5000 km from the tagging location) after 96 days. The whales engaged in ARS behaviour intermittently throughout their southward migrations. During transit phases the whales moved quickly; one individual maintained an average horizontal speed of 9.3 km/h (travelling 223 km per day) for a period of a week. This study documents that: (1) some fin whales might remain at high latitudes during winter; (2) the whales that do migrate probably feed along the way; (3) they can maintain high transiting speed for long periods and; (4) one breeding area for this species is likely located in deep, warm water some 100 km west of Morocco.