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Age, Growth, Reproduction, and Movements of Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus Leucas)

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Age, Growth, Reproduction, and Movements of Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus Leucas) Age, growth, reproduction, and movements of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the eastern Chukchi Sea Robert Scott Suydam A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2009 Program Authorized to Offer Degree: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Abstract Age, growth, reproduction, and movements of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the eastern Chukchi Sea Robert Scott Suydam Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Associate Professor Glenn R. VanBlaricom School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) are an important subsistence resource for many aboriginal peoples across the Arctic and subarctic. Environments of these whales are being subjected to considerable change, including increased human activities (e.g., oil and gas exploration and development) and climate change. To conserve belugas, we need to better understand their biology. Collection of biological samples of harvested whales and capture of live ones was possible because of an annual subsistence hunt at Point Lay in northwest Alaska along the eastern Chukchi Sea. Samples and measurements were collected from 688 harvested whales. These focused on aspects of age, growth, and reproduction. Measurements of standard length were compared with measurements from photographs taken during aerial surveys. Results indicated that the subsistence harvest was biased toward the larger, whiter animals and away from the smaller, darker ones. Measurements of harvested belugas showed that white males were longer than white females but the lengths of younger, darker animals were similar between sexes. Asymptotic lengths of males and females were 436 and 362 cm, respectively. The overall pregnancy rate was 0.56 but included females pregnant with near-term or small fetuses. When only accounting for small fetuses, the pregnancy rate was 0.41, which indicated a calving interval of 2 to 3 years. Production of young declined in older females (>~25 years). Satellite transmitters were attached to 26 live-captured belugas and tracked for up to 520 days. After leaving the Point Lay area, whales moved north and east and mostly remained in the Beaufort Sea and Arctic Ocean during the summer and early autumn. Females and younger animals tended to remain near the shelf break while some large males moved far to the north (~80o N) through deep, ice-covered waters. Some belugas were tracked south through the central and eastern Chukchi Sea. One animal provided the first known winter location for this stock, northwest of Saint Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. Information on age, growth, reproduction, and movements of eastern Chukchi Sea belugas will allow for a greater ability to predict and mitigate impacts from changes occurring in the Arctic. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1 LENGTH DISTRIBUTION, COLOR COMPOSITION, AND EARLY GROWTH OF BELUGA WHALES: EXAMINATION OF HUNTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED ANIMALS FROM THE EASTERN CHUKCHI SEA ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 2 METHODS .................................................................................................................... 4 Study Area ................................................................................................................. 4 Harvested Belugas ..................................................................................................... 5 Photogrammetry ........................................................................................................ 5 Length at Dissociation ............................................................................................... 8 Statistical Comparisons ............................................................................................. 9 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................... 9 Subsistence Harvest ................................................................................................... 9 Photogrammetry ...................................................................................................... 10 Statistical Comparisons ........................................................................................... 12 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................. 13 Hunting and Sampling Biases .................................................................................. 13 i Early Growth ........................................................................................................... 19 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER 2 AGE, GROWTH, AND REPRODUCTION OF BELUGA WHALES FROM THE EASTERN CHUKCHI SEA, ALASKA ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ 29 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 31 METHODS .................................................................................................................. 33 Sampling and Measurements ................................................................................... 33 Age Determinations ................................................................................................. 34 Growth Curves ......................................................................................................... 35 Ovarian Analysis ..................................................................................................... 36 Gestation .................................................................................................................. 37 Average Age at First Birth ....................................................................................... 37 Comparison with other stocks ................................................................................. 40 RESULTS .................................................................................................................... 40 Sex Ratio .................................................................................................................. 40 Ages ......................................................................................................................... 41 Lengths .................................................................................................................... 41 Growth Curves ......................................................................................................... 43 Pregnancy Rates and Corpora Counts ..................................................................... 43 ii Gestation .................................................................................................................. 45 Average Age at First Birth ....................................................................................... 45 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................. 46 Selectivity of Hunters .............................................................................................. 46 Sex Ratio .................................................................................................................. 48 Size and Color Change ............................................................................................ 51 Fluke Width and Standard Length ........................................................................... 51 Age and Growth ....................................................................................................... 52 Pregnancy Rate and Corpora Counts ....................................................................... 56 Gestation .................................................................................................................. 59 Age at Sexual Maturity, First Birth, or Associated Parameter ................................ 60 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 62 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... 62 CHAPTER 3 SATELLITE TRACKING OF EASTERN CHUKCHI SEA BELUGA WHALES INTO THE ARCTIC OCEAN ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ 85 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 86 METHODS .................................................................................................................. 88 Capture and Tagging of Whales .............................................................................. 88 Satellite Tag Data Analysis ....................................................................................
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