Migratory destinations and spatial structuring of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering off Nicaragua

Joëlle De Weerdt; Aldo S. Pacheco; John Calambokidis; Melvin Castaneda; Ted Cheeseman; Astrid Frisch-Jordán; Frank Garita Alpízar; Craig Hayslip; Pamela Martínez-Loustalot; Daniel M. Palacios; Ester Quintana-Rizzo; Nicola Ransome; Jorge Urbán Ramírez; Phillip Clapham; Tom Van der Stocken

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-41923-7

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Migratory destinations and spatial structuring of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering off Nicaragua

Joëlle De Weerdt, Aldo S. Pacheco, John Calambokidis, Melvin Castaneda, Ted Cheeseman, Astrid Frisch-Jordán, Frank Garita Alpízar, Craig Hayslip, Pamela Martínez-Loustalot, Daniel M. Palacios, …

Scientific reports, Vol.13, 15180

13/09/2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41923-7

PMID: 37704666

Appears in Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications

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Abstract

Animal migration

Conservation biology

Understanding the migratory patterns of large whales is of conservation importance, especially in identifying threats to specific populations. Migration ecology, including migratory destinations, movements and site fidelity for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) remain poorly studied in parts of the range of the Central America population, considered endangered under the United States Endangered Species Act. This study aimed to investigate the migratory destinations of humpback whales sighted at two study sites in Nicaragua, which are part of the Central America population. A ten-year photographic database of humpback whales observed off Nicaragua was combined with citizen science contributions and sightings from dedicated research programs. The resulting image collection was compared with available historical photo identifications and databases using an automated image recognition algorithm. This approach yielded 36 years of photographic identification totaling 431 recaptures in Nicaragua (2006–2008 and 2016–2021) and 2539 recaptures (1986–2020) in both feeding and breeding grounds of 176 unique individuals sighted in Nicaragua. Our results showed that photo-identified whales were recaptured between October and April in breeding grounds and year-round in feeding grounds between British Columbia and California, with peak recaptures between June and October. Our study provided first-time evidence on fine-scale site affinity of individual humpback whales within Nicaraguan waters and to other breeding and feeding grounds.

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Title: Migratory destinations and spatial structuring of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering off Nicaragua
Creators: Joëlle De Weerdt - Association ELI-S, Education, Liberté, Indépendance-Scientifique, Allée de Verdalle 39, 33470 Gujan-Mestras, France Pleinlaan, 1050 Brussel, Belgium
Aldo S. Pacheco - National University of San Marcos
John Calambokidis - Cascadia Research Collective
Melvin Castaneda - Fundación Naturaleza El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador
Ted Cheeseman - Southern Cross University
Astrid Frisch-Jordán - Ecología y Conservación de Ballenas
Frank Garita Alpízar - Cascadia Research Collective
Craig Hayslip - Newport, OR USA Newport, OR USA
Pamela Martínez-Loustalot - Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur
Daniel M. Palacios - Oregon State University
Ester Quintana-Rizzo - Emmanuel College - Massachusetts
Nicola Ransome - Fundación Naturaleza El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador Perth, WA Australia
Jorge Urbán Ramírez - Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur
Phillip Clapham - Seastar Scientific, 27605 Hake Rd SW, Vashon, WA 98070 USA
Tom Van der Stocken - Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Publication Details: Scientific reports, Vol.13, 15180
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK
Grant note: ;
Identifiers: 991013141112902368
Academic Unit: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Migratory destinations and spatial structuring of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering off Nicaragua

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