Status report on the Humpback Whale megaptera novaeangliae in Canada
Status report on the Humpback Whale megaptera novaeangliae in Canada
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- dc.contributor.author
- Hay, Keith
- dc.date.accessioned
- 2023-06-23T13:13:40Z
- dc.date.available
- 2023-06-23T13:13:40Z
- dc.date.issued
- 1982-02-11
- dc.description.abstract - en
- Humpback whales frequent the waters off Canada's east and west coasts. Both stocks were heavily exploited commercially during the early twentieth century which kept their numbers low until the International Whaling Commission assigned protected status to the North Atlantic-stock in 1955 and to the North Pacific stock in 1965. Since this action was taken, the latter have not shown a marked increase, but in the Northwest Atlantic humpback whale populations may have recovered. Recent, estimates of the population size of the Northwest Atlantic humpback whale range from, about 800 to 3,00 0 with the majority of estimates less than 1,500. The number; of North - east Pacific humpbacks over-wintering around Hawaii has been estimate d at 550-740 animals, with a mean of 650; this is to be compared to an initial population size of over 3,800 and possibly not less than 10-15,000. Both stocks are highly migratory. The North Pacific stock spends the summer in Alaskan waters - and the winter around Hawaii. More is known of the North Atlantic stock which spends the winter in the West - 2 - Indies where the calves are born. This population migrates to high latitude feeding grounds of the Northwest Atlantic, and humpback whales are numerous off Newfoundland/Labrador and west Greenland during the summer. However, the relationships of these two groups are uncertain. Although humpback whales may have recovered from earlier depleted population levels, they cannot be described as an abundant species. There remain small-scale subsistence fisheries for the species in west Greenland and Bequia, West Indies, and the effects of these removals on the condition of the stock should be evaluated. In the late 19701s, humpback whales appear to have become increasingly numerous in inshore Newfoundland waters and there has been an increase in the frequency of entrapments of these whales in fixed inshore fishing gear. The apparent re-distribution of humpback whales may be correlated with depletion of offshore capelin stocks. Indeed, more recently these stocks appear to be rebuilding and the whales have moved offshore. Humpbacks breed and calve on offshore Caribbean banks of limited extent, and they may be highly susceptible to human disturbance and pollution in these areas. Silver and Navidad banks, where 85% of the population spends the winter, comprise only about 3,40 0 km2.
- dc.identifier.uri
- https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/875
- dc.language.iso
- en
- dc.publisher - en
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- dc.publisher - fr
- Environnement et Changement climatique Canada
- dc.rights - en
- Open Government Licence - Canada
- dc.rights - fr
- Licence du gouvernement ouvert - Canada
- dc.rights.openaccesslevel - en
- Not Applicable
- dc.rights.openaccesslevel - fr
- Pas applicable
- dc.rights.uri - en
- https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada
- dc.rights.uri - fr
- https://ouvert.canada.ca/fr/licence-du-gouvernement-ouvert-canada
- dc.subject - en
- Biodiversity
- Nature and Environment
- Water
- dc.subject - fr
- Biodiversité
- Nature et environnement
- Eau
- dc.subject.en - en
- Biodiversity
- Nature and Environment
- Water
- dc.subject.fr - fr
- Biodiversité
- Nature et environnement
- Eau
- dc.title - en
- Status report on the Humpback Whale megaptera novaeangliae in Canada
- dc.type - en
- Internal report
- dc.type - fr
- Rapport interne
- local.pagination
- 19 pages
- local.peerreview - en
- Internal Review
- local.peerreview - fr
- Examen interne
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