Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon
Humpback whales are remarkable for the behavioural plasticity of their feeding tactics and the diversity of their diets. Within the last decade at hatchery release sites in Southeast Alaska, humpback whales have begun exploiting juvenile salmon, a previously undocumented prey. The anthropogenic sour...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2017-01-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.170180 |
| _version_ | 1818198459717517312 |
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| author | Ellen M. Chenoweth Janice M. Straley Megan V. McPhee Shannon Atkinson Steve Reifenstuhl |
| author_facet | Ellen M. Chenoweth Janice M. Straley Megan V. McPhee Shannon Atkinson Steve Reifenstuhl |
| author_sort | Ellen M. Chenoweth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Humpback whales are remarkable for the behavioural plasticity of their feeding tactics and the diversity of their diets. Within the last decade at hatchery release sites in Southeast Alaska, humpback whales have begun exploiting juvenile salmon, a previously undocumented prey. The anthropogenic source of these salmon and their important contribution to local fisheries makes the emergence of humpback whale predation a concern for the Southeast Alaska economy. Here, we describe the frequency of observing humpback whales, examine the role of temporal and spatial variables affecting the probability of sighting humpback whales and describe prey capture behaviours at five hatchery release sites. We coordinated twice-daily 15 min observations during the spring release seasons 2010–2015. Using logistic regression, we determined that the probability of occurrence of humpback whales increased after releases began and decreased after releases concluded. The probability of whale occurrence varied among release sites but did not increase significantly over the 6 year study period. Whales were reported to be feeding on juvenile chum, Chinook and coho salmon, with photographic and video records of whales feeding on coho salmon. The ability to adapt to new prey sources may be key to sustaining their population in a changing ocean. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T02:06:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7b176c74747d41a39ee186dddf97fa18 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T02:06:13Z |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-7b176c74747d41a39ee186dddf97fa182022-12-22T00:42:02ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032017-01-014710.1098/rsos.170180170180Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmonEllen M. ChenowethJanice M. StraleyMegan V. McPheeShannon AtkinsonSteve ReifenstuhlHumpback whales are remarkable for the behavioural plasticity of their feeding tactics and the diversity of their diets. Within the last decade at hatchery release sites in Southeast Alaska, humpback whales have begun exploiting juvenile salmon, a previously undocumented prey. The anthropogenic source of these salmon and their important contribution to local fisheries makes the emergence of humpback whale predation a concern for the Southeast Alaska economy. Here, we describe the frequency of observing humpback whales, examine the role of temporal and spatial variables affecting the probability of sighting humpback whales and describe prey capture behaviours at five hatchery release sites. We coordinated twice-daily 15 min observations during the spring release seasons 2010–2015. Using logistic regression, we determined that the probability of occurrence of humpback whales increased after releases began and decreased after releases concluded. The probability of whale occurrence varied among release sites but did not increase significantly over the 6 year study period. Whales were reported to be feeding on juvenile chum, Chinook and coho salmon, with photographic and video records of whales feeding on coho salmon. The ability to adapt to new prey sources may be key to sustaining their population in a changing ocean.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.170180megaptera novaeangliaeoncorhynchus spp.marine mammal–fishery interactionsforagingaquaculturebehaviour |
| spellingShingle | Ellen M. Chenoweth Janice M. Straley Megan V. McPhee Shannon Atkinson Steve Reifenstuhl Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon Royal Society Open Science megaptera novaeangliae oncorhynchus spp. marine mammal–fishery interactions foraging aquaculture behaviour |
| title | Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon |
| title_full | Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon |
| title_fullStr | Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon |
| title_short | Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon |
| title_sort | humpback whales feed on hatchery released juvenile salmon |
| topic | megaptera novaeangliae oncorhynchus spp. marine mammal–fishery interactions foraging aquaculture behaviour |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.170180 |
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