Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground
Whale watching can affect cetacean behaviour, and can in some cases lead to long-term negative effects on survival and reproduction. The waters of Juneau (Alaska) represent a summer feeding ground for the Central North Pacific stock of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781). The re...
Published in: | Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems |
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ftsydanskunivpub:oai:sdu.dk:publications/aac20e36-c6ae-49a6-a96a-d33e5d0ac74a 2024-05-19T07:41:46+00:00 Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground Di Clemente, Jacopo Christiansen, Fredrik Pirotta, Enrico Steckler, Dave Wahlberg, Magnus Pearson, Heidi Christine 2018-08 https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/da/publications/aac20e36-c6ae-49a6-a96a-d33e5d0ac74a https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 eng eng https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/da/publications/aac20e36-c6ae-49a6-a96a-d33e5d0ac74a info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess Di Clemente , J , Christiansen , F , Pirotta , E , Steckler , D , Wahlberg , M & Pearson , H C 2018 , ' Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground ' , Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems , vol. 28 , no. 4 , pp. 810-820 . https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 Behaviour Coastal Disturbance Feeding Industry Island Mammals Recreation article 2018 ftsydanskunivpub https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 2024-04-24T00:32:49Z Whale watching can affect cetacean behaviour, and can in some cases lead to long-term negative effects on survival and reproduction. The waters of Juneau (Alaska) represent a summer feeding ground for the Central North Pacific stock of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781). The recent dramatic expansion of the local whale-watching industry has raised concerns over the potential negative impact of such activity on the whales. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of whale-watching vessels on humpback whale behaviour in Juneau. From June to September 2015, land-based observations were conducted to record whale behaviour in the presence and absence of vessels. Markov chains and model simulations showed that the presence of vessels was not associated with a reduction in the time spent feeding. Whales exhibited more surface-active behaviour and travelled less in the presence of vessels. The lack of an overt response of feeding whales to whale-watching disturbance could result from the importance of the Southeast Alaska study region as a feeding ground, which could make the whales less apt to interrupt feeding under disturbance; however, The high proportion of travelling observed may indicate that the study area represents a travelling corridor between other, localized feeding areas. The increase in surface-active behaviour may represent a response to vessel presence that could potentially lead to energetic consequences. The large number of whale-watching vessels operating could lead to the increased tolerance of whales towards whale-watching activities. The lack of responses in this study may suggest that the reactions of whales are context specific, depending on their previous experience with vessels and their foraging behaviour, for example. Subtler negative effects could still occur, however, and a prolonged monitoring programme is required to assess less overt behavioural responses of whales over time. Article in Journal/Newspaper Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Alaska University of Southern Denmark Research Portal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 28 4 810 820 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Southern Denmark Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftsydanskunivpub |
language |
English |
topic |
Behaviour Coastal Disturbance Feeding Industry Island Mammals Recreation |
spellingShingle |
Behaviour Coastal Disturbance Feeding Industry Island Mammals Recreation Di Clemente, Jacopo Christiansen, Fredrik Pirotta, Enrico Steckler, Dave Wahlberg, Magnus Pearson, Heidi Christine Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
topic_facet |
Behaviour Coastal Disturbance Feeding Industry Island Mammals Recreation |
description |
Whale watching can affect cetacean behaviour, and can in some cases lead to long-term negative effects on survival and reproduction. The waters of Juneau (Alaska) represent a summer feeding ground for the Central North Pacific stock of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781). The recent dramatic expansion of the local whale-watching industry has raised concerns over the potential negative impact of such activity on the whales. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of whale-watching vessels on humpback whale behaviour in Juneau. From June to September 2015, land-based observations were conducted to record whale behaviour in the presence and absence of vessels. Markov chains and model simulations showed that the presence of vessels was not associated with a reduction in the time spent feeding. Whales exhibited more surface-active behaviour and travelled less in the presence of vessels. The lack of an overt response of feeding whales to whale-watching disturbance could result from the importance of the Southeast Alaska study region as a feeding ground, which could make the whales less apt to interrupt feeding under disturbance; however, The high proportion of travelling observed may indicate that the study area represents a travelling corridor between other, localized feeding areas. The increase in surface-active behaviour may represent a response to vessel presence that could potentially lead to energetic consequences. The large number of whale-watching vessels operating could lead to the increased tolerance of whales towards whale-watching activities. The lack of responses in this study may suggest that the reactions of whales are context specific, depending on their previous experience with vessels and their foraging behaviour, for example. Subtler negative effects could still occur, however, and a prolonged monitoring programme is required to assess less overt behavioural responses of whales over time. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Di Clemente, Jacopo Christiansen, Fredrik Pirotta, Enrico Steckler, Dave Wahlberg, Magnus Pearson, Heidi Christine |
author_facet |
Di Clemente, Jacopo Christiansen, Fredrik Pirotta, Enrico Steckler, Dave Wahlberg, Magnus Pearson, Heidi Christine |
author_sort |
Di Clemente, Jacopo |
title |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_short |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_full |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_fullStr |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
title_sort |
effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, megaptera novaeangliae (borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/da/publications/aac20e36-c6ae-49a6-a96a-d33e5d0ac74a https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 |
genre |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Alaska |
genre_facet |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Alaska |
op_source |
Di Clemente , J , Christiansen , F , Pirotta , E , Steckler , D , Wahlberg , M & Pearson , H C 2018 , ' Effects of whale watching on the activity budgets of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781), on a feeding ground ' , Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems , vol. 28 , no. 4 , pp. 810-820 . https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 |
op_relation |
https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/da/publications/aac20e36-c6ae-49a6-a96a-d33e5d0ac74a |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2909 |
container_title |
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems |
container_volume |
28 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
810 |
op_container_end_page |
820 |
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1799481379218522112 |