Overwintering humpback whales adapt foraging strategies to shallow water environments at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA

Shearer, Jeanne M.; Foley, Heather J.; Swaim, Zachary T.; Janik, Vincent M.; Read, Andrew J.

doi:10.1111/mms.13184

Advanced Search

Select up to three search categories and corresponding keywords using the fields to the right. Refer to the Help section for more detailed instructions.

Search our Collections & Repository

Advanced Search
Custom Query

All these words:

For very narrow results

This exact word or phrase:

When looking for a specific result

Any of these words:

Best used for discovery & interchangable words

None of these words:

Recommended to be used in conjunction with other fields

Language:

Dates

Publication Date Range:

to

Document Data

Title:

Document Type:

Library

Collection:

Series:

People

Author:

Clear All

Query Builder

Query box

Clear All

For additional assistance using the Custom Query please check out our Help Page

The NOAA IR serves as an archival repository of NOAA-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other information authored or co-authored by NOAA or funded partners. As a repository, the NOAA IR retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.

i

Overwintering humpback whales adapt foraging strategies to shallow water environments at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA

2024
By Shearer, Jeanne M. ; Foley, Heather J. ; Swaim, Zachary T. ; ...
Source: Marine Mammal Science (2024)

[PDF-2.13 MB]

Details You May Also Like

Details:

Journal Title:

Marine Mammal Science
Personal Author:

Shearer, Jeanne M. ; Foley, Heather J. ; Swaim, Zachary T. ; Janik, Vincent M. ; Read, Andrew J.

Shearer, Jeanne M. ; Foley, Heather J. ; Swaim, Zachary T. ; Janik, Vincent M. ; Read, Andrew J. Less -
NOAA Program & Office:

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; NEFSC (Northeast Fisheries Science Center)

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; NEFSC (Northeast Fisheries Science Center) Less -
Description:

Some humpback whales from the Northwestern Atlantic population forgo migration to the Caribbean, spending winter months feeding along the U.S. mid‐Atlantic coast. We studied the foraging behavior of these whales at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia during winter from 2017 to 2022. While shipping channels here reach depths of up to 30 m, most of the area is 11–15 m deep. This shallow‐water environment poses physical constraints on classical humpback whale feeding modes. We deployed 20 digital acoustic tags (DTAGs) on humpback whales and identified foraging lunges from accelerometer data, detecting 788 lunges from 10 animals. Tagged whales averaged a single lunge per dive, lunging primarily in a horizontal orientation, with limited maneuvering compared to other study sites. Our results indicate that some elements of humpback whale foraging behavior are conserved across environments, but that the shallow depths in our study area constrain how animals are able to feed. The relatively high lunge rates we observed suggest this area is an important foraging ground. However, foraging in shipping channels increases the risk of ship strikes, which frequently occur in this area.
Source:

Marine Mammal Science (2024)
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13184
ISSN:

0824-0469;1748-7692;
Format:

PDF
Publisher:

Wiley
Document Type:

Journal Article
Rights Information:

Accepted Manuscript
Compliance:

Submitted
Main Document Checksum:

[+]

urn:sha-512:a7fd68aa648143804dac2dd72c81ee3535923d007e16b94799f0d8eaecd0a65960fa8b31b63d1e6ee651bb5804a9541e223920ff27accc1d18d38b9a15fc0812
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/66990/noaa_66990_DS1.pdf
File Type:

No Additional Files

More +

Overwintering humpback whales adapt foraging strategies to shallow water environments at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA

Details:

Supporting Files

You May Also Like