Swim speed,
behavior, and movement of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena
glacialis)
in coastal waters of northeastern Florida, USA,
by Hain, J.H.W, J.D. Hampp, S.A. McKenney, J.A.
Albert, and R.D. Kenney
has been published in PLoS ONE 8(1): e54340.
In
a portion of the coastal waters of northeastern Florida, North
Atlantic right
whales (Eubalaena glacialis) occur close to shore from
December through
March. These waters are included within the designated critical
habitat for
right whales. Data on swim speed, behavior, and direction of
movement—with
photo-identification of individual whales—were gathered by a
volunteer sighting
network working alongside experienced scientists and supplemented
by aerial
observations. In seven years (2001-2007), 109 tracking periods or
“follows”
were conducted on right whales during 600 hours of observation
from shore-based
observers. The whales were categorized as mother-calf pairs,
singles and
non-mother-calf pairs, and groups of 3 or more individuals. Sample
size and
amount of information obtained was largest for mother-calf pairs.
Swim speeds
varied within and across observation periods, individuals, and
categories. One
category, singles and non mother-calf pairs, was significantly
different from
the other two—and had the largest variability and the fastest swim
speeds.
Median swim speed for all categories was 1.3 km/h (0.7 kn), with
examples that
suggest swim speeds differ between within-habitat movement and
migration-mode
travel. Within-habitat right whales often travel back-and-forth in
a
north-south, along-coast, direction, which may cause an individual
to pass by a
given point on several occasions, potentially increasing
anthropogenic risk
exposure (e.g., vessel
collision,
fishing gear entanglement, harassment). At times, mothers and
calves engaged in
lengthy stationary periods (up to 7.5 h) that included rest,
nursing, and play.
These mother-calf interactions have implications for
communication, learning,
and survival. Overall, these behaviors are relevant to population
status,
distribution, calving success, correlation to environmental
parameters, survey
efficacy, and human-impacts mitigation. These observations
contribute important
parameters to conservation biology, predictive modeling, and
management.
However, while we often search for predictions, patterns, and
means, the
message here is also about variability and the behavioral
characteristics of
individual whales.