作者: Briana H Witteveen , Janice M Straley , Olga von Ziegesar , D Steel , C Scott Baker
DOI: 10.1139/Z04-120
关键词: Population structure 、 Skin tissue 、 Biology 、 Cetacea 、 Geographic distribution 、 Abundance (ecology) 、 Fishery 、 Pacific ocean
摘要: Despite extensive research on humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)) in parts of the North Pacific, little has focused feeding coastal waters west Kodiak Island Gulf Alaska. To extend westward small-boat surveys were conducted near Shumagin Islands during summers 1999–2002. Photographs natural markings collected, representing 413 sightings 171 individual whales. Small samples skin tissue collected from 20 individuals, including two mother–calf pairs, for sex identification and comparison mtDNA haplogroups with previously published results other regions Pacific. Individual photographs used mark–recapture analysis to estimate abundance region. The best was given by a modified Jolly–Seber method: N = 410 (95% CI: 241–683) 2002. Comparison archived photographs...