There and back again:Multiple and return exchange of humpback whales between breeding habitats separated by an ocean basin

In species that aggregate for reproduction, the social and fitness costs of movement between groups frequently lead to restricted exchange between breeding areas. We report on four individual humpback whales identified in both the Cape Verde Islands and Guadeloupe; locations separated by an ocean ba...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Main Authors: Stevick, P. T., Berrow, Simon D., Berube, Martine, Bouveret, Laurent, Broms, Fredrik, Jann, Beatrice, Kennedy, Amy, Suarez, Pedro Lopez, Meunier, Marine, Ryan, Conor, Wenzel, Frederick
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2016
Subjects:
breeding aggregation
breeding habitat choice
philopatry
photo-identification
humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
CAPE-VERDE ISLANDS
EASTERN NORTH-ATLANTIC
MEGAPTERA-NOVAEANGLIAE
POPULATION-STRUCTURE
NATAL PHILOPATRY
PACIFIC
CETACEANS
MOVEMENTS
MIGRATION
ABUNDANCE
Pacific
Humpback Whale
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11370/6dab9b84-6649-4d4a-8ddd-d62685d5969d
https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/6dab9b84-6649-4d4a-8ddd-d62685d5969d
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315416000321
https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/39157478/JMBA_UK_2016_96_4_Stevick.pdf
Description
Summary:In species that aggregate for reproduction, the social and fitness costs of movement between groups frequently lead to restricted exchange between breeding areas. We report on four individual humpback whales identified in both the Cape Verde Islands and Guadeloupe; locations separated by an ocean basin and >4000 km. This rate of exchange is rarely encountered between such geographically discrete breeding areas. Two individuals returned to the area where they were originally identified. In contrast, no individuals from the Cape Verde Islands were resighted to the much larger sample from the Dominican Republic, though the migratory distances from the feeding areas are comparable between these areas. The social factors driving the stark difference between groups that is observed here are not clear. Effective conservation requires an understanding of the extent and pattern of movement between population units. The findings presented here suggest that there may well be more than one behaviourally distinct group within the West Indies. More broadly, they argue that considerable caution is warranted in assumptions made regarding the number, boundaries and status of population units based solely on spatial separation or proximity.

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