Assessment of humpback whale swimming speeds in two eastern Australian bays

H. Kela; J. de Bie; K. H. W. Paas; S. Stack; W Franklin; T. Franklin; J.-O. Meynecke

doi:10.1071/MF24116

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Assessment of humpback whale swimming speeds in two eastern Australian bays

H. Kela, J. de Bie, K. H. W. Paas, S. Stack, W Franklin, T. Franklin and J.-O. Meynecke

Marine and Freshwater Research, Vol.75(18), pp.1-11

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24116

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Abstract

Australia

cetaceans

citizen science

conservation

humpback whale

migration

resting area

swimming speed

Context Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are capital breeders, travelling several thousand kilometres between their breeding and feeding sites annually. Along the migration route, humpback whales utilise locations such as Hervey Bay and the Gold Coast bay for resting. Methods Here we used sightings data from 2066 boat-based surveys spanning 11 years. Aims To compare and analyse the sighting data and evaluate the swimming speed in Hervey Bay and the Gold Coast bay. Key results During southward migration, swimming speeds observed in Hervey Bay and the Gold Coast bay for both pods with and without calves were slower than are migration speeds reported in literature for each pod type. Whales swam faster in the Gold Coast bay (mean = 4.14 km h−1) than Hervey Bay (mean = 3.32 km h−1); however, the effect of location on swimming speed was small. In Hervey Bay, swimming speeds of pods without calves were faster (mean = 3.48 km h−1) than swimming speeds of pods with calves (mean = 3.15 km h−1). Conclusions Our findings contribute to the understanding of swimming speeds in different humpback whale cohorts and their movements in nearshore environments. Implications Understanding the importance of the role of humpback whale swimming speed in nearshore environments for assessment of habitat use can help management of such areas for effective protection of humpback whales.

Details

Title: Assessment of humpback whale swimming speeds in two eastern Australian bays
Authors: H. Kela - Griffith University
J. de Bie - Griffith University
K. H. W. Paas - Griffith University
S. Stack - Griffith University
W Franklin - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
T. Franklin - Southern Cross University
J.-O. Meynecke - Griffith University
Publication details: Marine and Freshwater Research, Vol.75(18), pp.1-11
Publisher: C S I R O Publishing
Date published: 2024
DOI: 10.1071/MF24116
ISSN: 1448-6059; 1323-1650
Copyright note: © 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Data Availability: The data that support this study will be shared upon reasonable request.
Grant note: This work was supported by a grant to Griffith University from a private charitable trust as a part of the Whales and Climate Research Program. Pacific Whale Foundation’s research in Hervey Bay was funded by PacWhale Eco-Adventures Hawaii, members of Pacific Whale Foundation, and a number of private donors.
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991091095902621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Fisheries; Limnology; Marine & Freshwater Biology; Oceanography

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