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Resource ID
10671
Access
Open
Full Title
Recent development in temporal and geographical variation in body condition of common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata acutorostrata) in the Northeast Atlantic
Author
H. Solvang, T. Haug and N. Øien
Abstract
The common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata acutorostrata) is a boreo-arctic species, and the summer period is generally characterized by intensive feeding and consequently seasonal fattening at high latitudes. The fat deposited is stored as energy reserves for overwintering at lower latitudes where feeding is greatly reduced. It is therefore expected that their body condition on the summer grounds will reflect food availability during their most intensive feeding period and thus indicate how well the high latitude ecosystems can support the populations. During the commercial catch operations on feeding grounds in Norwegian waters, body condition data (blubber thickness and girth) have been collected from 13,216 common minke whales caught in 1993-2018. Using this time series to investigate associations between body condition and time/area in minke whales, we applied several statistical approaches. The analyses revealed a significant negative trend from the start until 2015. After 2015, the trend was reversed and body condition values increased significantly. It has previously been suggested that there may be a link between the decreased minke whale body condition and the abundance of the Barents Sea cod stock which increased to a record high level between 2006 and 2015. Recruitment to the cod stock in more recent years has been low with a subsequent and continuous decrease in the total stock after 2015 to a current level which is presumably approximately 60% of the 2015 level. Interestingly, the observed common minke whale body condition was at its lowest in 2015, whereafter it has increased. This may support a connection between cod abundance and feeding conditions for other top predators such as common minke whales.