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SC/69A/SH/02
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Resource ID
20050
Access
Open
Document Number
SC/69A/SH/02
Full Title
Investigating western Australian southern right whale foraging grounds through satellite telemetry
Author
Kate R. Sprogis, Rob Harcourt, Leena Riekkola, Virginia Andrews-Goff Els Vermeulen, Alexandre N. Zerbini, Amy S. Kennedy, Nick Gales, Emma L. Carroll
Authors Summary
Under the auspices of IWC-SORP theme 6 on southern right whales, a multi-year research project began in 2022 to understand the foraging grounds links of southern right whales that winter in Western Australia using satellite telemetry. The report by Sprogis et al presents preliminary data from the tracks of eight whales tagged in 2022, but as state space modelling still needs to be done these findings are subject to revision. Potential foraging areas identified for WA southern right whales included the subtropical front south of Australia, the Kerguelen Islands, the Crozet Islands and Antarctica. Of particular interest to SH is the identification of shared foraging grounds, shown in Figure 6, based on satellite telemetry data from southern right whales from other wintering populations. Specifically, there was spatial and temporal overlap between southern right whales from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in the region of the subtropical front south of Australia and between Australia and South Africa in waters around the Crozet Islands.
Publisher
IWC
Publication Year
2023
Abstract
Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis; SRWs) migrate from winter breeding grounds into the Southern Ocean to feed during the warmer months. However, where modern-day SRWs from the Australian wintering grounds feed, and their migratory paths, remain poorly understood. The aim of this research was to track foraging movements of SRWs from Western Australia (WA) using satellite tags that were deployed towards the end of the breeding season in September 2022. Some tags remained on for >176 days, providing new insights into migration routes and foraging locations. Potential foraging areas were the Subtropical Front, the Kerguelen Islands, the Crozet Islands and Antarctica. Here, we provide preliminary analyses of the spatial and temporal overlap among populations of SRWs. Specifically, there was spatial and temporal overlap with right whales from the Aotearoa New Zealand and the South African breeding population. This research highlights a high degree of variability in where WA SRW forage. Future work will use state space modelling to confirm foraging regions and investigate the use of oceanic features (e.g., continental slopes, frontal systems and eddies, transform faults and seamounts) through modelling.