Geographical movements, site fidelity and connectivity of killer whales within and outside herring grounds in Icelandic coastal waters
Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
Investigating the movements and site fidelity of individuals enhances our understanding of population ecology and structure. Killer whales occur around the coast of Iceland; however, information on the connectivity between different regions is limited to herring grounds, where they are observed frequently. In this study, we used photo-identification data to investigate the movements and site fidelity of whales within (South and West) and outside (Southwest, Northwest, Northeast and East) Icelandic herring grounds. Additionally, we used a 10-year photo-identification dataset in the South to investigate long-term site fidelity patterns to a single location. Of the 440 individuals sighted more than once, nearly half (48%) moved between herring grounds and site fidelity was higher within, compared to outside, herring grounds. Outside herring grounds, individuals showed: more movement from Southwest to West compare to South, indicating this region is not exclusively a passage between herring grounds; low site fidelity to the Northeast with fewer photographic matches to other regions, suggesting individuals found here may be part of an offshore population that occasionally visits the area; and low proportion of matches to other regions in the Northwest and East, although small sample sizes precluded firm conclusions. Finally, long-term residency of killer whales in the South showed dynamic patterns, likely caused by prey availability and/or environmental changes. This study elucidates the complexities of killer whale occurrence and connectivity within the North Atlantic and suggests population structure that should be further investigated for appropriate regional conservation assessments.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Artikelnummer | 30 |
| Tidsskrift | Marine Biology |
| Vol/bind | 171 |
| Antal sider | 17 |
| ISSN | 0025-3162 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - 2024 |
Bibliografisk note
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Icelandic Research Fund (grant numbers 217642, 120248, 163060 and 217519), with additional support from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (grant number SFRH/BD/30303/2006), the National Geographic Global Exploration Fund (grant number GEFNE65-12), the Office of Naval Research (grant number N00014-08–10984), the BBC Natural History Unit, and a Russell Trust Award from the University of St. Andrews. This project was funded in part by the generous support of Earthwatch. Borea Adventures, Elding Whale Watching, Discover the World, Gentle Giants, Láki Tours, Natural Habitat Adventures, North Sailing, Special Tours and Whale Watching Akureyri supported JK, MW, AK, CH, RS, JS, ES, FG, LG, BKN, BGO, HM, JNR, RS and TH in the form of salaries. Whale watching and travel companies did not have any role in the study design, data collection, data analyses and publication.
Funding Information:
We would like to thank all colleagues, students and citizen scientists who helped in data collection throughout the field seasons in Vestmannaeyjar, as well as in Snæfellsnes and Skjálfandi bay. We are grateful to North Sailing, particularly Hörður Sigurbjarnarson, and Gentle Giants, particularly Stefán Guðmundsson and Daniel Chandrachur Annisius, for allowing research assistants from the Húsavík Research Centre to join whale-watch trips to collect photo-identification data and sightings information in Skjálfandi Bay. We are also grateful to all the tour operators around Iceland for providing platforms and photo-identifications of killer whales: Viking Tours in Vestmannaeyjar, Elding and Special Tours in Faxaflói, Láki Tours in Hólmavík, Westfjords Safari and Borea Adventures in Ísafjarðardjúp, Arctic Sea Tours in Dalvik, Whale Watching Akureyri in Eyjafjörður. We would also like to thank Andrew Scullion, Anna Cucknell, Ayça Eleman, Baldur Thorvaldsson, Börkur Kjartansson, Bruce Patterson, Christophe, Lucas and Melissa Pampoulie, Diðrik Rúnar Bjarkason, Doug Gualtieri, Eline van Aalderink, Eric Anno, Fannar Reykjalin, Freyr Antonsson, Guðmundur Falk, Isa Marx, Jack Ball, Janne Falkenløve, Javier Cotín, Jim Coyer, Már Höskuldsson, Miquel Pons, Ómar Erlendsson, Quentin Cazaux, Richard Harker, Rodrigo A. Martínez Catalan, Sabrina Voswinkel, Teatsche Dijkhuis, Þórður Birgisson and all members of the public for providing additional photographs from other regions of Iceland. We thank Dr. Filipe Alves and particularly Prof. Hal Whitehead for helpful guidance on conducting data analyses using SOCPROG. We would also like to thank all the reviewers for very helpful comments on the manuscript. Funding was provided by the Icelandic Research Fund, with additional support from Earthwatch, the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, the National Geographic Global Exploration Fund, the Office of Naval Research, the BBC Natural History Unit, and a Russell Trust Award from the University of St. Andrews.
Funding Information:
We would like to thank all colleagues, students and citizen scientists who helped in data collection throughout the field seasons in Vestmannaeyjar, as well as in Snæfellsnes and Skjálfandi bay. We are grateful to North Sailing, particularly Hörður Sigurbjarnarson, and Gentle Giants, particularly Stefán Guðmundsson and Daniel Chandrachur Annisius, for allowing research assistants from the Húsavík Research Centre to join whale-watch trips to collect photo-identification data and sightings information in Skjálfandi Bay. We are also grateful to all the tour operators around Iceland for providing platforms and photo-identifications of killer whales: Viking Tours in Vestmannaeyjar, Elding and Special Tours in Faxaflói, Láki Tours in Hólmavík, Westfjords Safari and Borea Adventures in Ísafjarðardjúp, Arctic Sea Tours in Dalvik, Whale Watching Akureyri in Eyjafjörður. We would also like to thank Andrew Scullion, Anna Cucknell, Ayça Eleman, Baldur Thorvaldsson, Börkur Kjartansson, Bruce Patterson, Christophe, Lucas and Melissa Pampoulie, Diðrik Rúnar Bjarkason, Doug Gualtieri, Eline van Aalderink, Eric Anno, Fannar Reykjalin, Freyr Antonsson, Guðmundur Falk, Isa Marx, Jack Ball, Janne Falkenløve, Javier Cotín, Jim Coyer, Már Höskuldsson, Miquel Pons, Ómar Erlendsson, Quentin Cazaux, Richard Harker, Rodrigo A. Martínez Catalan, Sabrina Voswinkel, Teatsche Dijkhuis, Þórður Birgisson and all members of the public for providing additional photographs from other regions of Iceland. We thank Dr. Filipe Alves and particularly Prof. Hal Whitehead for helpful guidance on conducting data analyses using SOCPROG. We would also like to thank all the reviewers for very helpful comments on the manuscript. Funding was provided by the Icelandic Research Fund, with additional support from Earthwatch, the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, the National Geographic Global Exploration Fund, the Office of Naval Research, the BBC Natural History Unit, and a Russell Trust Award from the University of St. Andrews.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
ID: 378189952