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False Killer Whale and Short-Finned Pilot Whale Acoustic Occurrences

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False Killer Whale and Short-Finned Pilot Whale Acoustic Occurrences 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals Tampa, FL, 27 November – 02 December 2011 parasite egg counts (paired t-test: nematodes p=0.736, cestodes Data presented here are the first to document aspects of the life p=0.159, trematodes p=0.146). Retrospective power analyses history of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) examined indicated sample sizes were insufficient. Eight individuals had at least from New Zealand waters. Post-mortem sampling occurred during a 50% reduction in cestode eggs while only three individuals had two mass stranding events at Spirit’s Bay, Northland on 22 September similar decreases in nematode and trematode eggs. There was 2010 and Mason Bay, Stewart Island on 20 February 2011. A total of insufficient evidence to determine if keeping an animal dry for 24 56 (out of 57) and 105 (out of 107) animals were examined, hours increased drug efficacy. Further testing is needed to determine respectively. Sex, total body length (TBL), teeth and reproductive whether Profender® can reduce cestode burdens in pinnipeds. samples were collected from both strandings. The sex ratio in both stranding events was biased towards females (63.5% overall), False killer whale and short-finned pilot whale acoustic although mature males were present in both groups. Body length occurrences around the Hawaiian Islands ranged 207–570cm (mean=418, SD=104, n=58) in males and 201– Baumann-Pickering, Simone 1; Simonis, Anne E. 1; Oleson, Erin M. 2; 485cm (mean=389, SD=64, n=101) in females. Females matured Rankin, Shannon 3; Baird, Robin W. 4; Roch, Marie A. 5, 1; Wiggins, Sean sexually at body lengths of 300–400cm. Of 12 sexually mature M. 1; Hildebrand, John A. 1 females identified from Spirit’s Bay, 25.0% (n=3) were resting, (1) Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, 9500 Gilman Dr. #0205, La Jolla, 16.7% (n=2) were pregnant and 58.3% (n=7) were lactating. Of 41 California, 92093, USA sexually mature females identified from Mason Bay, 58.5% (n=24) (2) Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, 2570 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI, were resting, 29.3% (n=12) were pregnant, 9.8% (n=4) were lactating, 96822, USA (3) Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, 3333 North Torrey Pines Court, La and one whale was simultaneously pregnant and lactating. Ageing of Jolla, CA, 92037-1022, USA teeth and further processing of reproductive samples is currently (4) Cascadia Research Collective, 218 1/2 W. 4th Avenue, Olympia, WA, 98501, underway to provide the first comprehensive data set on age, growth USA and reproductive parameters for the New Zealand population. These (5) San Diego State University, Dept. of Computer Science, 5500 Campanile Drive, data form part of a long-term study of the biology and conservation San Diego, CA, 92182-7720, USA Corresponding author: [email protected] status of pilot whales (Globicephala spp.) in New Zealand waters. Although much is known about site fidelity and movements of both Genetic analysis of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops insular false killer whales and short-finned pilot whales around the truncatus) community structure within estuarine and main Hawaiian Islands, there is considerably more information coastal communities of eastern Florida available from the eastern than from the western islands or Bechdel, Sarah E. 1; Cauldwell, Marthajane 2; Mazzoil, Marilyn 1; Stolen, northwestern archipelago. Two populations of false killer whales are Megan 3; Noke Durden, Wendy 3; Mazza, Teresa 3; McCulloch, Stephen known to occur in Hawaiian waters, although recent analyses of D. 1; Bossart, Gregory D. 4; O'Corry-Crowe, Greg 1 occurrence, habitat, and genetics suggest finer population structure. (1) Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, 5600 The Hawai‘i insular population of false killer whales is proposed to U.S. 1 North, Ft. Pierce, Florida, 34946, USA (2) Marine Mammal Behavioral Ecology Studies, Inc., 8429 Cresthill Avenue, be listed as Endangered, and both species face a variety of threats, Savannah, Georgia, 31406, USA including interactions with fisheries. Autonomous acoustic datasets (3) Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, 3830 South Highway A1A #4-181, collected at three sites in the Hawaiian Archipelago provide Melbourne Beach, Florida, 32951, USA additional insight into the occurrence and relative abundance of false (4) Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street Northwest, Atlanta, Georgia, 30313, USA killer whales throughout Hawai‘i waters and may help define Corresponding author: [email protected] population structure. Continuous long-term and broadband (10 Hz to 100 kHz) acoustic recordings were obtained for one year off the coast Over the past decade, photo-identification and genetic studies on of Kaua‘i and Pearl and Hermes Reef, and three years off the Island bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) along the Atlantic coast and of Hawai‘i. Pilot whales have similar whistles and echolocation clicks within the connected estuaries of eastern Florida have been used to to false killer whales, but based on recordings made during concurrent define discrete management stocks. However, many of the visual and acoustic surveys we are able to discriminate the two underlying studies were limited in geographic scope, which has likely species’ acoustic signals. The median peak and center frequency of influenced some of these stock designations. Therefore, there is a false killer whale clicks was around 16 kHz and 20 kHz, respectively, need to combine photo catalogues and genetic datasets in a meta- with a 18 kHz bandwidth (-10 dB). Clicks of pilot whales had a analysis of population structure, dispersal patterns, and stock median peak and center frequency of 19 kHz and 23 kHz, identification in this region. Previous photo-identification studies respectively, and a 14 kHz bandwidth. Automated classification identified five communities within two adjacent estuarine stocks of techniques using Gaussian mixture models showed high potential for northern Florida (Jacksonville) and central Florida (Indian River species classification. Discrete patterns were observed in the Lagoon Estuary - IRL); the former study comprised of northern and occurrence of false killer whales and pilot whales at each site and are southern communities, and the latter Mosquito Lagoon, north-IRL being further assessed to determine their utility for identifying finer and south-IRL communities. It has been suggested that the southern scale population structure for each species. estuarine community of Jacksonville may share members with part of the Mosquito Lagoon IRL community via recent photo-identification Two recent mass strandings of long-finned pilot whales matches. Further, sighting data and social affiliations suggest limited movement between estuarine communities and adjacent coastal on the New Zealand coast 1, 2 3 1 populations. We conducted genetic analysis (n=375) to determine if Beatson, Emma L ; Stockin, Karen A ; O'Shea, Steve mixing could be detected between; 1) estuarine (Jacksonville and (1) Earth & Oceanic Sciences Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, New Zealand IRL) verses coastal populations, 2) the two estuarine stocks (2) School of Applied Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag (Jacksonville vs. IRL), and 3) within and among all five estuarine 92006, Auckland, New Zealand communities. Using the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control (3) Coastal-Marine Research Group, Institute of Natural Sciences, Massey region, we found significant (p< 0.05) differences between estuarine University, Private Bag 102 904, North Shore MSC, New Zealand verses coastal dolphins (Fst=0.04) and between the two estuarine Corresponding author: [email protected] stocks (Fst=0.46). Structure was also detected among communities within stocks (Fst=0.003-0.68). However, no differentiation has been detected to date between the southern estuarine community of 28 .
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