Megaptera Novaeangliae) in Skjálfandi Bay
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MASTERARBEIT Titel der Masterarbeit Annual and seasonal distribution of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Skjálfandi Bay Verfasserin Luisa Klotz angestrebter akademischer Grad Master of Science (MSc) Wien, 2013 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 066 831 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Masterstudium Zoologie Betreuerin / Betreuer: Dr. Michael Stachowitsch “He is the most gamesome and light-hearted of all the whales, making more gay foam and white water than any other of them.” Herman Melville (“Moby-Dick”, 1851) Acknowledgements First of all, heartfelt thanks to my supervisor at the University of Vienna, Dr. Michael Stachowitsch, for helping me realize my dream of working with whales, and for his guid- ance during the writing process. Secondly, thanks to Dr. Marianna Rasmussen for her help as an external supervisor and for providing the equipment needed for research. Special thanks to the lecturers at the University of Iceland for teaching me the methods of marine mammal research, especially in the 'Marine Mammals Field Course'. I would also like to thank the crew of the 'Song of the Whale' research vessel for giving me the opportunity to go aboard and participate in their scientific work. It was very helpful in my own data collection. Thanks to all the volunteers of the Húsavík Research Center for their help in collecting data, their emotional support, and for the great times we spent together. And special thanks to Frances James for helping to answer questions concerning statistics, for her cheerfulness, and her optimism. Thanks also to Peter Waltl who introduced me patiently into the mysteries of ArcGIS and helped me in creating the maps. Furthermore, thanks to the staff of ‘North Sailing' for allowing me to use their boats as research vessels and for bringing me closer to those amazing whales, and a huge thanks for giving me the opportunity to return next summer! Also, I am very grateful to my family for supporting me in realizing this adventure and for always being there to listen to my doubts and worries. And last but not least, a special thanks to Christian Schmidt, who actually should be named first. Thanks to him for his assistance in organizing the time abroad, for taking me on unforgettable boat trips, for showing me fascinating places in Iceland's wilder- ness, and for helping to make this summer one of the best I've ever had. Thanks for "infecting" me with this passion for the wonderful humpback whales! 2 Contents Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................. 2 Contents ................................................................................................... 3 List of abbreviations ................................................................................ 5 Abstract .................................................................................................... 6 Zusammenfassung .................................................................................. 7 1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 9 1.1 Megaptera novaeangliae ............................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Migration ......................................................................................................................................... 10 1.3 Distribution in the North Atlantic ................................................................................................. 12 1.4 Whaling ........................................................................................................................................... 14 1.5 Study area ...................................................................................................................................... 15 1.6 Photo-Identification ....................................................................................................................... 16 1.7 Aims ................................................................................................................................................ 19 2 Materials and Methods ........................................................................ 21 2.1 Data acquisition ............................................................................................................................. 21 2.1.1 Study area .............................................................................................................................. 21 2.1.2 Data collection ....................................................................................................................... 22 2.1.3 Provided data ......................................................................................................................... 24 2.2 Data analysis ................................................................................................................................. 24 2.2.1 Photo-identification ............................................................................................................... 24 2.2.2 Effort analysis ........................................................................................................................ 27 2.2.3 Statistics ................................................................................................................................. 27 2.2.4 Distribution analysis .............................................................................................................. 28 3 Results ................................................................................................. 30 3.1 Annual distribution ........................................................................................................................ 30 3.1.1 Effort analysis ........................................................................................................................ 30 3.1.1.1 Comparing means of SPUE between years ............................................................ 33 3 Contents 3.1.1.2 Sightings of different species in previous years ....................................................... 34 3.2 Seasonal distribution .................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.1 Effort analysis ........................................................................................................................ 36 3.2.1.1 Daytime dependency .................................................................................................... 38 3.3 Sea Surface Temperatures ......................................................................................................... 41 3.4 Distribution in Skjálfandi Bay ....................................................................................................... 44 3.5 Focus on individuals ..................................................................................................................... 53 3.5.1 Sightings and resightings ..................................................................................................... 53 3.5.2 Duration of stay ..................................................................................................................... 58 3.5.3 Life histories of selected individuals ................................................................................... 60 4 Discussion ........................................................................................... 69 4.1 Annual distribution ........................................................................................................................ 69 4.1.1 Effort analysis ........................................................................................................................ 69 4.1.2 Sightings of different species in previous years ............................................................... 70 4.2 Seasonal distribution .................................................................................................................... 70 4.3 Sea Surface Temperatures ......................................................................................................... 73 4.4 Distribution in Skjálfandi Bay ....................................................................................................... 77 4.5 Focus on individuals ..................................................................................................................... 80 4.5.1 Sightings and resightings ..................................................................................................... 80 4.5.2 Life history of selected individuals ...................................................................................... 82 5 Conclusions ........................................................................................ 85 6 Reference list ...................................................................................... 87 7 List of figures ...................................................................................... 96 8 List of tables ........................................................................................ 99 Curriculum Vitae .................................................................................. 101 4 List of abbreviations List of abbreviations B. acutorostrata / Ba - Balaenoptera acutorostrata Bm - Balaenoptera musculus Hafro (MRI) - Hafrannsóknastofnunin - Marine Research Institute IWC - International