Humpback whale monitoring in Glacier Bay and adjacent waters 2013: Annual progress report
Neilson JL, Gabriele CM, Vanselow PB. 2014. Humpback whale monitoring in Glacier Bay and adjacent waters 2013: Annual progress report. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/GLBA/NRTR—2014/886. Fort Collins, Colorado
Migratory endangered humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from the Central North Pacific stock use southeastern Alaska as summer feeding habitat, including the waters in and around Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GLBA). This report summarizes the findings of GLBA’s humpback whale monitoring program in 2013, the twenty-ninth consecutive year of consistent data collection in Glacier Bay and Icy Strait (GB-IS). From June through August, the number of whales in GB-IS (n = 237; including 10 mother/calf pairs) was the highest count ever documented. One hundred and forty-eight whales (62%), including six mother/calf pairs, met our definition of ‘resident’ (remaining 20 or more days in the study area). This highlights the importance of GB-IS as a summer feeding ground for humpback whales. The numbers of whales in Glacier Bay (n = 160) and Icy Strait (n = 202) were also the highest counts ever documented. We collected a record-high number of sloughed skin samples (n = 29; including three samples from calves) for genetic analysis. Capelin (Mallotus villosus) appeared to be unusually abundant in Icy Strait and lower to middle Glacier Bay compared to previous years. Point Adolphus did not develop into the consistent hot spot of whale activity that has been typical of previous years and to our knowledge, it was the first year since monitoring began in 1985 that the “core group” did not form. We documented several whale/human interactions, including two whale-vessel collisions in Icy Strait.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Neilson, Janet; Gabriele, Christine; Vanselow, Phoebe
- Date of Issue
- 2014-06
- Units
- GLBA , NRSS , SEAN
- Keywords
- collisions, Glacier Bay, GLBA, humpback, Icy Strait, Monitoring, National Park, National Preserve, Whale
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Marine Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals