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Demography and ecology of southern right whales Eubalaena australis wintering at sub-Antarctic Campbell Island, New Zealand

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Torres2016_SRW_at_CI_ms_v2_Revised_Manuscript.pdf (1.925Mb)
Date
01/2017
Author
Torres, Leigh
Rayment, Will
Olavarria, Carlos
Thompson, David
Graham, Brittany
Baker, C. Scott
Patenaude, Nathalie
Bury, Sarah Jane
Boren, Laura
Parker, Graham
Carroll, Emma Louise
Keywords
Age-class
Genetic analysis
Population connectivity
Stable isotope
Sub-Antarctic
Wintering ground
Parentage analysis
GE Environmental Sciences
QH301 Biology
QL Zoology
NDAS
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Abstract
Since the decimation of the southern right whale Eubalaena australis population in New Zealand by whaling, research on its recovery has focused on the wintering ground at the Auckland Islands, neglecting potentially important wintering habitat at Campbell Island. For the first time in 20 years we conducted an expedition to sub-Antarctic Campbell Island to document and describe E. australis occupying this wintering habitat. We used a variety of methods including photo-identification, genetic and stable isotope analyses of tissue samples, and visual surveys of abundance and distribution, to provide details on the demography, population connectivity and ecology of E. australis wintering at Campbell Island. Our primary findings include (1) a lack of calves observed at Campbell Island, (2) an age-class bias toward sub-adults encountered at Campbell Island, (3) nine photo-identification matches between individuals observed at Campbell Island and previously documented elsewhere in New Zealand, (4) no genetic differentiation between E. australis at Campbell Island and the broader New Zealand population, (5) increased abundance estimates of E. australis at Campbell Island over the last 20 years, and (6) indications that E. australis forage within the sub-Antarctic region based on stable isotope analyses. Our results confirm that the Auckland Islands are currently the only significant calving area for E. australis in New Zealand, and therefore previous abundance estimates based on demographic data from the Auckland Islands are applicable to the entire New Zealand population of E. australis. However, future periodic surveys to Campbell Island are recommended to monitor population recovery and expansion.
Citation
Torres , L , Rayment , W , Olavarria , C , Thompson , D , Graham , B , Baker , C S , Patenaude , N , Bury , S J , Boren , L , Parker , G & Carroll , E L 2017 , ' Demography and ecology of southern right whales Eubalaena australis wintering at sub-Antarctic Campbell Island, New Zealand ' , Polar Biology , vol. 40 , no. 1 , pp. 95-106 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-016-1926-x
Publication
Polar Biology
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-016-1926-x
ISSN
0722-4060
Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2016, Publisher / the Author(s). This work is made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at link.springer.com / https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-016-1926-x
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  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/10509

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