Differing prey associations and habitat use suggest niche partitioning by fin and humpback whales off Kodiak Island

McCarthy, A; De Robertis, A; Kotwicki, S; Hough, K; Wade, P; Wilson, C

doi:10.3354/meps13596

i

Differing prey associations and habitat use suggest niche partitioning by fin and humpback whales off Kodiak Island

2021
By McCarthy, A ; De Robertis, A ; Kotwicki, S ; ...

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Journal Title:

Marine Ecology Progress Series
Personal Author:

McCarthy, A ; De Robertis, A ; Kotwicki, S ; Hough, K ; Wade, P ; Wilson, C
NOAA Program & Office:

NOS (National Ocean Service) ; ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries) ; NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; AFSC (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
Description:

Fin Balaenoptera physalus and humpback Megaptera novaeangliae whales share foraging areas and may compete for the same prey, but little is known about the extent to which they partition prey resources. Visual cetacean surveys and simultaneous acoustic-trawl surveys of prey were conducted around 2 submarine canyons off Kodiak Island, Alaska, in 2004 and 2006. Statistical models were used to examine the associations between sightings of fin and humpback whales and measures of their potential prey and environment. Observations and models indicate that fin whales were disproportionately abundant in areas with the highest observed euphausiid concentrations, while humpback whales were abundant at lower euphausiid concentrations and in areas where juvenile walleye pollock were abundant. Fin whales were abundant in the areas where euphausiid biomass was deepest and in the deepest areas surveyed (>150 m depth). In contrast, humpback whales primarily occurred in shallower areas and near more shallowly distributed euphausiids. The different depth and prey affinities of fin and humpback whales suggest niche and habitat partitioning between these 2 co-occurring species. Abundance models built using acoustic estimates of prey density are a useful tool to further understanding of the abundance, distribution, and behavior of these animals.
Keywords:

Whales Cetacean Habitat Euphausiids Fin Whales Fisheries Acoustics Humpback Whales Niche Partitioning
Source:

Marine Ecology Progress Series, 662, 181-197
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13596
Document Type:

Journal Article
Place as Subject:

Kodiak Island (Alaska)
Rights Information:

Other
Compliance:

Submitted
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:d5cb5c61122930afdf8d3a8c059621b585076840c72f787a5d3dd7f3f721c77d
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29152/noaa_29152_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 1.25 MB ]

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