ACS Research Committee Report

SPERM WHALE WATCHING IN THE AZORES
Source: Magalhaes, S., R. Prieto, M.A. Silva, J. Goncalves, M. Afonso-Dias, and R.S. Santos. 2002. Short-term reactions of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) to whale-watching vessels in the Azores. Aquatic Mammals 28(3): 267-274.

Sperm whales were observed from land-based stations and aboard whale-watching vessels in the Azores between June 4^th and September 23^rd, 1998. The land-based lookouts observed no change in behavior of the sperm whales due to the presence of boats or exposure to "inappropriate" (against regulations) boat maneuvers. The boat-based observations noted an increase in whale swimming speed and number of aerial behaviors when the whale was exposed to inappropriate boat maneuvers. People swimming in the water near whales also seemed to cause an increase in aerial behaviors. Mature females and immature whales that were associated with a calf increased their breath intervals in the presence of boats. Although some correlations were found between short-term sperm whale behavioral reactions and boat activity, it was difficult to define a clear trend.    

ASSOCIATION PATTERNS OF ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS
Source: Edward, C.G. Owen, Randall S. Wells, and Sue Hofmann. Ranging and association patterns of paired and unpaired adult male Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Sarasota, Florida, provide no evidence for alternative male strategies. Can. J. Zool. 80(12): 2072-2089. 2002.

A long-term data set of bottlenose dolphin observations from Sarasota, Florida, was analyzed for male pair bonds. Males were determined to be "paired" or "unpaired" based on coefficients of association using survey data from 1993-2000. Associations between males and females of different reproductive states were examined annually and seasonally. There was no significant difference between paired and unpaired males in either spatial or temporal patterns of association with females of all reproductive states. In a lagged association analysis, males associated with breeding females more often before the breeding season started. This result may indicate that males develop a "relationship" with females that will last until the breeding season, which may influence female choice. Paired males had larger ranges than unpaired males. Unpaired males may simply be a "transitional" state and not an alternative strategy.    

SOCIAL ROLES OF HUMPBACK WHALE MALES
Source: Spitz, Scott S., Louis M. Herman, Adam A. Pack, and Mark H. Deakos. The relation of body size of male humpback whales to their social roles on the Hawaiian winter grounds. Can J. Zool. 80(11): 1938-1947. 2002.

Body length of male humpback whales in Hawaii was determined using underwater video-grammetry. Male body size was compared to its social class in observations on the breeding grounds, i.e., whether the male was a principal escort in a competitive group, secondary escort, lone escort to a mother/calf pair, male partner in a dyad or a singer. Principal escorts were significantly larger than males in all other classes, except singers. Singers were significantly larger than male partners, but there was no significant difference between secondary escorts, single escorts, and male partners. Principal escorts were of sizes that indicated at least an 0.81 probability of being sexually mature (according to whaling data). Less than half of male partners, one third of secondary escorts and one fifth of single escorts were of sizes that had at most 0.5 probability of being sexually mature. These results indicate that size may offer an advantage to males in breeding activities.    

2002 NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE CONSORTIUM MEETING
The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium is a group of North Atlantic right whale researchers. The Consortium meets once a year to discuss ongoing research projects and developments in conservation, such as shifting of shipping lanes and fishing gear modifications. The following summaries are only a select few of the presentations made during the 2002 meeting.

2002 NORTH ATLANTICRIGHT WHALE CATALOG: AN UPDATE ON MORTALITY, REPRODUCTION AND POPULATION STATUS.
Conger, Lisa.

In 2002, there were 21 right whale calves born in the Southeast United States calving grounds. Six of the 21 were re-sighted in the Bay of Fundy in the summer. There were five known mortalities: one calf east of Provincetown, Massachusetts; one calf or yearling that was a probable ship strike in Maryland; two calves in Virginia; one calf from 2001 that washed up in Nantucket, Massachusetts, approximately one month after it was disentangled from fishing gear. The Nantucket animal had a wound around the base of the tail that was caused by the entanglement and was the probable cause of death.    

NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES EXPOSED TO PARALYTIC SHELLFISH POISONING (PSP) TOXINS VIA A ZOOPLANKTON VECTOR, CALANUS FINMARCHICUS.
Durbin, Edward, Gregory Teegarden, Robert Campbell, Allan Cembella, Mark Baumgartner and Bruce R. Mate.

Right whales receive chronic exposure to a neurotoxin that causes Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP). The dinoflagellates that contain these toxins can be found in the zooplankton that the whales feed on for several months each summer in Grand Manan Basin in the lower Bay of Fundy. These toxins could affect respiratory capacity, feeding behavior and even reproduction in right whales. The toxin levels ingested equal approximately 4.83 micrograms per kilogram per day in the lower Bay of Fundy.    

ASSOCIATIONS AMONG NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES.
Hamilton, Philip.

Male right whales in Roseway Basin, near the Bay of Fundy, associate more often and seem to develop stronger bonds than females. It is possible that males form alliances for mating success. Females associate less often once they begin to reproduce, perhaps due to nutritional demands of pregnancy and lactation. There are similar association patterns between the Southeast U.S., a known calving ground and social area, to Roseway Basin. Whales observed in Roseway Basin have higher bond strengths than whales in other feeding areas, and those bonds are skewed towards males. Perhaps Roseway Basin is more important to right whales as a social area than a feeding area.    

PLAYBACK EXPERIMENTS TO STUDY RISK FACTORS FOR VESSEL COLLISION IN RIGHT WHALES
Nowacek, Doug, et al.

Playbacks of four different sounds, right whale social sounds, vessel noise, an alerting signal and silence, were presented to North Atlantic right whales. The alerting signal was designed as an annoying stimulus, which was not similar to any natural noise. Whale response was measured with a DTAG, a digital acoustic recording tag. Playback of right whale social sounds caused a change in heading and dive behavior of whales in the area. There was no clear response to silence or to vessel noise playbacks. However, there was a clear and unexpected response to the alerting signal. In five out of six right whales, this signal led to the whale aborting its present dive, ascending immediately to the surface and remaining near, but not at, the surface until the playback stopped. When the playback stopped, the whale continued with its normal foraging dive. This signal obviously had an immediate effect, but whale response to the playback increased its risk of vessel collision rather than causing an avoidance response.