Dissolving stock discreteness with satellite tracking : Bowhead whales in Baffin Bay

摘要: Nine bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) were instrumented with satellite transmitters in West Greenland May 2002 and 2003. Transmitters either encased steel cans or imbedded floats attached to wires. mounted had a high initial failure rate, yet those that successful provided tracking durations up seven months. Float tags low rate initially large numbers of positions; however, they deployment only 2–33 d. All tracked departed from headed northwest towards Lancaster Sound the end May. Three long (197–217 d) recorded movements (1 ♂, 2 ♀) into December these individuals remained within Canadian High Arctic along east coast Baffin Island summer early fall. By October, all three moved rapidly south entered Hudson Strait, an apparent wintering ground for population. One did not visit Isabella Bay on Island, locality used abundance estimation photographic reidentification individuals. The tagged this study raise critical questions about assumed stock discreteness Foxe Basin, Davis Strait indicate current estimates are negatively biased.