American Cetacean Society
Learning From Whales - Nov. 2004 Poster Presentations

2004 conference poster courtesy of Uko Gorter © 2004

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This Poster Presentation won 2nd Prize in the 2004 Student Poster Contest.

The following is an excerpt from the November 2004 conference program

HUMPBACK WHALE (MEGAPTERA NOVAEANGLIAE) SITE FIDELITY ON JEFFREYS LEDGE: BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL INFLUENCES

Julianne Kearney
Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation 370 Portsmouth Ave. #9, Greenland, New Hampshire 03840

Photo-identification research has allowed researchers to monitor humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations and site fidelity. Recent sightings data has shown large fluctuations in the number of humpbacks sighted on Jeffreys Ledge, a rocky ridge in the Gulf of Maine. This project examines the possible causes of the fluctuations of humpback whale site fidelity that have been occurring on Jeffreys Ledge over the last six years. Data on humpback whale sightings and average air and water temperatures were collected aboard commercial whale watch boats from 1997 to 2003. Humpback whale sightings were compared with the following physical and biological parameters: daily average chlorophyll, monthly average air and water temperatures, daily average current speed, and salinity. Initial results of this study suggest that specific annual trends of biological and physical parameters, such as chlorophyll density and surface temperature, have impacted humpback whale site fidelity on Jeffreys Ledge.

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