Temporal and demographic variation in partial migration of the North Atlantic right whale

Gowan, Timothy A.; Ortega-Ortiz, Joel G.; Hostetler, Jeffrey A.; Hamilton, Philip K.; Knowlton, Amy R.; Jackson, Katharine A.; George, R. Clay; Taylor, Cynthia R.; Naessig, Patricia J.

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-36723-3

i

Temporal and demographic variation in partial migration of the North Atlantic right whale

2019
By Gowan, Timothy A. ; Ortega-Ortiz, Joel G. ; Hostetler, Jeffrey A. ; ...

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Journal Title:

Scientific Reports
Personal Author:

Gowan, Timothy A. ; Ortega-Ortiz, Joel G. ; Hostetler, Jeffrey A. ; Hamilton, Philip K. ; Knowlton, Amy R. ; Jackson, Katharine A. ; George, R. Clay ; Taylor, Cynthia R. ; Naessig, Patricia J.
NOAA Program & Office:

CIMAS (Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies) ; NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; SER (Southeast Region)
Description:

Animal movement plays a fundamental role in the ecology of migratory species, and understanding migration patterns is required for effective management. To evaluate intrinsic and environmental factors associated with probabilities of endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis migrating to a wintering ground off the southeastern United States (SEUS), we applied a multistate temporary emigration capture-recapture model to 22 years of photo-identification data. Migration probabilities for juveniles were generally higher yet more variable than those for adults, and non-calving adult females were the least likely group to migrate. The highest migration probabilities for juveniles and adult males coincided with years of relatively high calving rates, following years of higher prey availability in a fall feeding ground. Right whale migration to the SEUS can be classified as condition-dependent partial migration, which includes skipped breeding partial migration for reproductive females, and is likely influenced by tradeoffs among ecological factors such as reproductive costs and foraging opportunities that vary across individuals and time. The high variability in migration reported in this study provides insight into the ecological drivers of migration but presents challenges to right whale monitoring and conservation strategies.
Keywords:

Animal Migration Calanus Finmarchicus Humpback Whale Northern Right Whale Animal Migration Calanus Finmarchicus Humpback Whale Northern Right Whale
Source:

Scientific Reports 9 (353)
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36723-3
Pubmed Central ID:

PMC6344554
Document Type:

Journal Article
Funding:

Grant no. NA16NMF4720319
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

PMC
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:89eb796f99d448766377b05f33d07afdb4baaf56ef41ac6d7796990e6dcbc03408c814b5159f9a0180d1175604d67b13b31b263d6ba0a5217fa2723f3acdacb5
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/24006/noaa_24006_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 1.96 MB ]

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