x b 4-OREGO™ OCS Study MMS 91-0069 Pad 7 freee = NMS 941-0069 APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING METHODS FOR TRACKING LARGE CETACEANS: NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES (Eubalaena glacialis) FINAL REPORT Contract No. 14-12-0001-30411 Prepared by: For: / ( : ao] iC4a2 Ag - FEBRUARY 1992 Bruce R. Mate, Sharon Nieukirk, Rod Mesecar and Toby Martin Oregon State University Newport, Oregon 97365-5296 U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Alaska and Atlantic OCS Regional Offices IMAM 0 0301 O0&b4b4 3 OCS STUDY MMS 91-0069 MBL/WHO! APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING METHODS FOR TRACKING LARGE CETACEANS: NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES (Eubalaena §glacialis) Final Report - February 1992 Bruce R. Mate, Sharon Nieukirk, Rod Mesecar and Toby Martin This study was funded by the Alaska and Atlantic Offices of Minerals Management Service, U.S. Department of Interior; Reston, VA 22091, Contract No. 14-12-0001-30411 Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative: Dr. Jerome Montague; MMS-Alaska OCS Office The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this report/product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of the Interior, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendations for use by the Federal Government. 5 ia eletomitd ty BeoMtO rivneliA bre eioalA. ANOS bl i Inene”) 08S AV nod peti al Rowrsaye SHOAL III We at ot Jools yaaa SNe Yf) bo TABLE OF CONTENTS PASS TEN Cl 6 ee 3S ee INDRODUGRION = =) 0 4 span terincdahor nettle 0c rotctar mets oie a Lk Ral onsen a 6 METHODSOM «CRAB & © Farther th ter tot oteda toc names to cats cle steep MeMohe si oe 0F Fe The Argos Data ‘Collection :System «:+...4.<5.c8..00 5. 00 0s Ron ee Tag Designs oi +) + + +2052". rete tote Aster acme sele sd 3: De ee TOBGis » vig wine mene ssncworae. wnctensaninarise eats BA take sR, a gS lonees FERCRUISIID 25 Seen oi-aplsteation sue sv Nish ceev’s\ ) LO Maeayy, he arte Lemapepanes, As aio seni ce eee ~) ORUL, tet hoggat ala 2a}. . ‘AQ ee wr. voy 6 OGG eee Pha Pagan Brib orvaeit eras qelinalamnsiste sagipicr ats sedi RY alta vH 9@4205* tis 192. . CVtGd Pet Ae 2h’ > 5 oe Oe Cas o= - : pe thiaelAe ABSTRACT Despite more than 50 years of protection from commercial whaling, the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) continues to be the most endangered of the large cetaceans. There are only an estimated 350 right whales remaining of which 70% are scarred from fishing gear entanglement and ship collisions. This research used satellite-monitored radio tags to study the movements and dive habits of right whales inhabiting the Bay of Fundy (BOF) in the early fall, and determined whether tagging had noticeable adverse affects on the whales. Satellite tracking is a powerful tool for studying free-ranging animals and has reshaped much of what we know about right whales. They were previously thought of as a slow-moving and nearshore species. From this study, we know that right whales can dive to 200 m routinely, can travel long distances over short time periods, sometimes at high speed and travel reasonably far from shore (500 km) into deep (4000+ m) water. There was no coherent migration observed. Individual right whale movements were quite variable. This study provided more specific detail on the movements and round-the-clock dive patterns of right whales than any previously reported. Seven North Atlantic right whales were tagged and tracked during 1989 and 1990 in the BOF with satellite-monitored (Argos) radio transmitters. These whales traveled at least 9,590 km between 366 locations. In 43 days, one female and her 7-month old calf traveled 3,800 km, while an adult male traveled 3,000 km (although along a different track). All three whales returned to the BOF, changing our previous notion that multiple seasonal sightings are an estimate of the residency time in the BOF. Tagged whales moved both nearshore and offshore. Some movements were associated with oceanographic features including temperature gradients, upwellings, eddies and warm core rings (WCR). These features may have stimulated local primary productivity or resulted in concentrating the density of prey. Surface active breeding groups (SAGs) were common south of Nova Scotia, and many animals moved the 160 km between the BOF and this area within two days. A preference for traveling along the 200 m contour of the continental slope may have increased the whales’ risk of collisions with ships. Individual whales averaged 30 - 113 km/day (1.3 - 4.7 km/hr.) with an overall average of 3.7 km/hr. for all whales combined. Surprisingly, speeds as high as 10 km/hr. were recorded; some of these were associated with currents in the same direction. The fastest whale was a pregnant female (Knowlton and Kraus, pers. comm.) who spent more time at the surface (33%) than any other whale. This whale also reported prolonged periods at the surface during 69% of its transmissions. Data were collected from 92,963 dives. Dives averaged 86 + 48 seconds. Whales were submerged most of the time (X = 78 + 13%) although some individuals spent long periods at the surface. The shortest dives occurred from dusk to midnight and the longest dives occurred from midnight to dawn. The deep-scattering layer is nearer the surface during both these periods than during daylight hours. There were substantial differences in dive patterns among individual whales. In 43 days of monitored dives, one adult male dove twice as frequently (with dives that were half as long in duration) as the comparable female with a calf. It was not possible to simply attribute the observed differences in dive patterns to the sex, age, reproductive or behavioral status of a whale. One tagged male was equipped with a pressure sensor for 22 days. He dove routinely to the bottom in waters up to 200 m deep and had a maximum dive depth of at least 272 m. We observed whales surfacing with mud on their dorsum in water 200 m deep confirming dives to the bottom. As copepods may be distributed anywhere from the surface to the bottom, this deep diving may be both searching and feeding activity. There was little reaction to tagging. Mild swelling at the tag attachment site was seen up to 3 days after tagging. A tagged female with a calf was tracked for 43 days and observed 16 days after tag loss, still with her calf. We saw no evidence of unusual scars or swelling after tag loss. We believe that tagging does not cause serious stress or pose a serious health risk to right whales. INTRODUCTION Despite more than 50 years of protection, the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) continues to be the most endangered of the large cetaceans. In their introduction to the "Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in the Western North Atlantic: A Catalog of Identified Individuals," Crone and Kraus (1990) describe the population and its known distribution as follows: "The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is now the rarest of the large whales. Current estimates indicate that no more than 300 - 350 survive along the eastern coast of North America. Sightings have been reported from as far south as the Gulf of Mexico, and as far north as Iceland, but most of the population is apparently distributed between Nova Scotia and Florida. Major aggregations have been described in the Great South Channel and Cape Cod Bay from late winter to early summer (Schevill et al., 1986; Winn et al., 1986), and in the Bay of Fundy (Gaskin, 1987; Kraus et al., 1982) and on the Nova Scotian shelf (Stone et al., 1988) from early summer to late autumn. Winter distribution for most of the population is unknown, but the primary winter calving ground appears to be the coastal waters between Savannah, Georgia, and Cape Canaveral, Florida (Kraus et al., 1986, 1988)." Because there is interest in the development of offshore oil and gas resources within the known range of right whales, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) Environmental Studies Program funded this study to develop satellite-monitored radio tags to examine the movements,, habits and habitats of the North Atlantic right whales. The resulting tag is to be subsequently used on bowhead whales in the Beaufort Sea. The main objectives of this contract were to: 1) develop a satellite-monitored radio tag for use on right whales; 2) tag up to 10 right whales; 3) periodically relocate, observe and examine tagged whales in order to assess the accuracy of locations and evaluate the performance of the tag and deployment mechanisms; 4) provide photo documentation of the attachment methods and possible effects of the tag on the animal’s physical well being and behavior; 5) document right whale movements including residency times, migration pathways, timing and speeds; and 6) relate the location of animals to known habitat characteristics and locations of other tagged whales to identify habitat preferences. This report reviews the development of the tags and the resulting data obtained from satellite-monitored right whales during two field seasons: August - October 1989 and August - September 1990. The largest part of this report is the "Results" section which analyzes the biological data (Contract Task J, Monitoring and Analysis) and is divided into six major categories: 1) transmitter attachment; 2) transmitter performance; 3) locations and movements with an analysis of location depths, dive depths, and traveling speeds; 4) diving behavior including number of dives, dive durations, time spent submerged and surface resting behavior; 5) the relation of speed and respiration parameters; and 6) oceanographic factors including structures such as fronts, eddies and upwellings detected from sea surface temperature images and temperatures reported by the tag itself. A conclusion section discusses the major results of the study and is followed by a list of recommendations including tag modifications proposed for the bowhead whale study. The Minerals Management Service contract allowed Oregon State University (OSU) to develop a surface-mounted tag (barnacle style) and/or an implantable tag (capsule style). Until recently, battery and transmitter size constraints made an implantable tag unlikely, therefore, our efforts were focused on surface-attached tags (Task A). METHODS The 1989 - 1990 study area is shown in Figure 1. The Right Whale Consortium sighting histories of all tagged whales may be examined in Appendix C. All of the movements summarized in this report were by animals which were tagged immediately east of Grand Manan Island in the central Bay of Fundy. A graphic information system (CAMRIS) was used to produce most maps in this report. The Argos Data Collection System The Argos Data Collection and Location System (ADCLS) was used to track tagged whales during this study (see Mate and Harvey, 1982). It is the only truly remote (monitoring) system available to civilians which can locate transmitters by satellite. Argos transmitters, or "platform transmitting terminals" (PTTs), have individual identification codes and a minimum repetition rate of 60 seconds; we obtained special permission to increase our repetition rate to 40 seconds. Each PTT transmits at 401.650 Mhz and is located by Doppler shift. PTT messages can contain up to 256 bits of sensor data, although our messages contained only 64 bits to conserve power. Argos receivers are on board National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sun-synchronous, polar-orbiting, TIROS-N weather satellites. Each satellite has four ARGOS receivers and is capable of monitoring up to 415 PTTs in a specific area. Because of the polar orbit, the number of orbits (passes) overhead varies by latitude. There are 28 orbits/day for latitudes greater than 75° and as few as six orbits/day along the equator (Figure 2). PTTs can only send information to the satellite when it is overhead. From a fixed point on earth, the satellites move from horizon to horizon in 8 - ah NEW BRUNSWICK GULF OF MAINE Ql : STELLWAGE BANK 42 00 pa CAPE COD a \ MA Bay A NORTH ‘ 7 GEORGE$ BANK ie ‘ C FUNDIAN CHANNE! ATLANTIC OCEAN ae Ne 7) SHOAYS 3 a GREAT BOUTH i CHANNEL WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC STUDY AREA 20 40 60 80 100 ilometers 0 120 140 Figure 1. Map of 1989-1990 study area. Figure 2. Representation of a NOAA TIROS-N satellite in polar orbit receiving transmissions from two different whales with Argos-monitored radio tags and relaying the information to ground stations at Wallops Island, Virginia and Gilmore Creek, Alaska. Tag Design Our tag housing and attachment design team consisted of Bruce Mate and Roderick Mesecar. Tag software was developed by Toby Martin and Walt Dillon. The MMS-sponsored workshop on cetacean radio tagging (Montgomery, 1987) was reviewed. We examined each of the previously successful VHF and HF conventional radio tag designs created by Goodyear (1981), Mate, et al. (1983) and Watkins, et al. (1981) in addition to the OSU satellite-monitored Argos work on pilot whales (Mate, 1989), manatees (Mate, et al., 1988) and humpback whales (Mate, et al., 1983). Individual tags and attachments were discussed with Tony Martin (Sea Mammal Research Unit, Cambridge, England), Kathy Frost and Lloyd Lowry (Alaska Department of Fish & Game), Joseph Geraci and Jeff Goodyear (University of Guelph), June Wilson-Hench and Larry Hench (University of Florida), Robert Hofman (Marine Mammal Commission) and Scott Kraus (New England Aquarium). From this research, it was determined that the design priorities were: 1) low profile to reduce drag; 2) a flexible base to conform to the curvature of the whale; 3) at least two attachments; 4) preferable use of bio- compatible materials; 5) good antenna orientation; and 6) ability to withstand pressure of 750 psi (500 m depth). 1989 After reviewing the certified Argos transmitters with their manufacturers, we chose the Telonics ST-3 as the most compact, durable and energy-efficient unit for the 1989 field trials. This unit also had an asynchronous serial port (a user interface), which allowed us to incorporate our own sensors and controller. We developed a microprocessor controller to provide onboard data management, collect temperature and pressure data from special sensors, interrogate a saltwater switch, coordinate transmissions with the satellite, and calculate a "cyclicredundancy check" (CRC) code to detect errors. Housing We decided that protection from pressure could most easily be accomplished by building the transmitter in a cylinder. The ST-3 transmitter measured 13.75 cm long by 7 cm wide by 1.5cm high. These dimensions determined the 7 cm minimum diameter and 15 cm length of the cylinder housing. O-ring sealed endcaps housed the pressure and temperature sensors at one end, and the saltwater switch and a 16.5 cm flexible whip antenna at the other end. The remaining space was sufficient to accommodate six Altus C-cell organic lithium batteries and the OSU-designed microprocessor board. Software In 1989, we attempted to synchronize the PTT transmission cycle with satellite movements in order to use the PTT battery power as efficiently as possible. The orbital elements of the NOAA 10 and NOAA 11 satellites were determined using the Telonics 15 min. and are within reception range of a PTT for an average of 10 min. during each pass. The Argos system is administered by Service Argos which charges users by the number of days it collects data for each PTT. Information is retransmitted immediately and also stored on the satellite for later transmission to earth stations. The re- transmitted information can be received by local user terminals (LUTs), and positions can be calculated immediately. The stored information is downloaded from the satellite to one of three ground stations and then sent to the NOAA Data Concentrator in Suitland, Maryland before going into the user-accessible Service Argos computer. Data were retrieved from Service Argos with an IBM PC-compatible computer and modem. In general, Argos-acquired locations were available within 3.5 hours of a satellite passing overhead. Because there isa LUT at Wallops Island, Virginia, which is part of the Argos system, some locations were available within 20 min. of a satellite pass. We also obtained monthly backup summaries from Service Argos on floppy disks. Service Argos locations are categorized by location accuracy, which increases as the number of messages received and the time between the first and last message increases. Argos-determined location accuracies vary from unknown to + 150 m. Table 1 summarizes the location class requirements and accuracies. : eel REQUIRED CONDITIONS ACCURACY * At least seven minutes between first and last message of pass * At least five messages received * Very good oscillator stability * Very good geometric configuration * At least seven minutes between first and last message during pass * At least five messages received * Good oscillator stability * At least four minutes between first and last message of pass * At least four messages received * Reasonable oscillator stability * At least two messages received during pass Location accuracy: 150 m (1 st. dev.) (Varies with sunspot activity) Location accuracy: 350 m (1 st. dev.) Location accuracy: 1 km (1 st. dev.) Quality of results, to be determined by user, depends on number of messages processed. Table 1. Accuracy and required conditions for Argos location classes. Prediction Program, and were used to calculate optimum transmission times for our Western North Atlantic study area. The programmed transmission period was twenty minutes, or almost twice the time it normally takes a satellite to pass from horizon to horizon, and thus allowed for animal movements of 3,000 km in any direction away from the initial tagging area. This synchronization of the transmission cycle with the satellite’s movement had never been attempted by any Argos PTT manufacturer, and saved an estimated 60% of the transmitter’s battery power. The resulting PTT had an operational life of approximately six months. A 64 bit message was transmitted at each surfacing during the programmed twenty minute "transmit" cycle and included the following information: Discrete Data (from the dive just completed): The duration of the dive (+ 2 s) The maximum depth of the dive (+ 17 m) The number of surfacings since the previous transmission (ITD) The water temperature (+ 0.5°C) at maximum depth Summary Data (during a 4-hour summary period): The number of dives The average duration of those dives The maximum depth achieved during the 4-hour period Other: Error detection (CRC) code for the discrete data Dives were defined as a submergence of at least 6 s to avoid counting swells and splashes as dives. The error detection (CRC) code was included because our 1987 pilot whale data (Mate, et al.,in prep.) confirmed the experience of other Argos users that 8% - 15% of all messages contained transmission errors. Most buoy and balloon users of the Argos system repeat their messages because the information does not change quickly. This repetition allows them to easily detect transmission errors. Since we transmit unique messages (discrete information) regarding each dive, we needed an independent means of detecting errors. Attachment During the cetacean radio tagging workshop and subsequent discussions, Joseph Geraci made three specific recommendations: 1) increase the depth of the attachment; 2) immobilize the implant as much as possible; and 3) increase the surface area of the attachments as much as possible while minimizing the amount of damage to the skin surface area. The sutures and "tynes" previously used for smaller tags appeared to be inadequate during blubber tests for the larger sized satellite-monitored tags. Thus, we considered alternatives such as: 1) sutures which had spiral shapes or formed large arcs to increase their surface area; 2) temple toggles (traditional-type harpoon heads) and folding barbs; and 3) devices which penetrated and then expanded, such as "molley bolts" and "catheters." Eight prototypic designs for subdermal attachment of surface-mounted tags were considered. Each was developed in concert with appropriate delivery systems (Task "C"). The question of power to deliver and deploy tags was one of the most serious. A 1982 tag design for humpback whales (Mate, 1983) utilized a Holex pressure cartridge to hydraulically push stainless steel needles through curved forming fixtures. Similar designs which required bending materials were avoided because of the need for high power sources. We preferred pre-formed attachments, such as the modifications to the original barnacle tag design (Mate, et al., 1983) made by K. Frost (pers. comm.) for application to beluga whales. This design used pre-curved sutures which locked into place upon deployment. We experimented with three versions of these sutures, including some with fixed or folding barbs, to increase their surface area and resist outward migration. The relatively large size of the tag resulted in significant hydrodynamic drag and exposed the tag to additional risk from rubbing on the bottom or against other animals. Thus, we felt a substantial subdermal anchoring system was required and settled on a spring-actuated system which deployed two curved stainless steel sutures to a depth of 10 cm - 12cm. Ultimately, a flat piece of stainless steel 3 mm thick and 1.8cm wide was added to the upper surface of the curved suture to increase the surface area and additionally resist the outward migration of the suture through what appeared to be very soft blubber. A spring (0.6 cm in diameter) was wound around the transmitter housing with a suture attached to each end (Figures 3a and 3b). The cylinder was mounted to a square base-plate with a foam rubber pad beneath it to protect the animal from abrasion. A "trigger" button in the center of the base was used to trigger the attachment when the base rested on a flat surface. The trigger released the energy of the coiled spring and installed the subdermal sutures in the skin and blubber. The tag was designed to be deployed either in a two stage process using a projectile dart and deployment vehicle, or from the end of a 5.2m pole (as a backup system). Deployment The primary deployment system used a dart fired from a crossbow (Figure 4). A trailing line went through a pulley on the dart. One end of the line was attached to the crossbow, while the other end was attached to a "tag deployment vehicle." The deployment vehicle consisted of two 20 cm-diameter plastic net floats which had sufficient flotation for recovery of the tag if the line broke. Pulling the line drew the tag deployment vehicle to the dart on the whale. The tag could not attach until it reached the dart which "armed" the tag’s trigger. The tag attached only when the tag was at the dart and the tag was flat enough on the whale’s back to depress the trigger. Once the 10 ANTENNA PRESSURE SENSOR TEMPERATURE SENSOR SALTWATER SWITCH Figure 3a. The 1989 Argos-monitored radio tag for right whales, showing the spring- powered, subdermal attachments. 1 Figure 3b. The 1989 Argos-monitored radio tag for right whales, side view. Note: suture depth and angle as well as 1" cube for scale. 12 Figure 4. A crossbow-fired dart trailed a loop of line through a swivel. This allowed the tag to be pulled up to the whale for attachment if the dart location was suitable. Note: 1" cube for scale. 3 tag was attached, the deployment vehicle was released from the tag and could be recovered. If the dart was poorly located, deployment could be aborted by releasing the line attached to the crossbow. 1990 Because miniaturization had occurred since the 1989 season, we reappraised the available PTT packages including those by Roger Hill (Wildlife Computers) and Telonics. We decided to use the most compact transmitter, the new Telonics ST-6, which could also operate at a reduced power level. An evaluation of the 1987 pilot whale signal strength data determined that a 60% power reduction (from 1 watt to 400 milliwatts) would result in only a 10% loss in the number of messages received. This was fortunate as the Altus batteries we had previously used for higher power were no longer available. After testing an array of batteries, we settled on the Duracell 2/3A manganese dioxide battery which is small, reasonably priced and readily available because it is commonly used for photographic strobes. We incorporated a small Telonics VHF radio transmitter into one end of the 1990 transmitter to relocate tagged whales and evaluate the accuracy of satellite-acquired locations (Task J). The VHF transmitters used different repetition rates on individual frequencies, and had an anticipated life of four months. The VHF tags were used to identify tagged whales at a range of several kilometers after satellite-acquired locations brought us into the general area. Thus, we knew which tagged whale we were observing without close approach. Housing The 1990 transmitter fit into a cylinder that was 5.6cm in diameter and 12.5 cm long. It weighed 0.57 kg with attachments (Figure 5). This was a 66% reduction in volume and a 91% reduction in weight over the 1989 tag and allowed the entire transmitter to be applied as a projectile without the intermediate steps required in 1989. Drag was reduced by more than 80% because of both the tag size change and the significant loss of the attachment spring, stops and base-plate structure. At each end of the tag was a Delrin plastic endcap. Delrin was chosen to reduce weight, save machining time and function as an insulator for the antennae and saltwater switch. The VHF and Argos antennae were mounted on opposite endcaps. The saltwater switch was located next to the Argos antenna. Software In 1990, the smaller Telonics ST-6 transmitters did not have software to precisely coordinate PTT transmissions with satellite passes. We decided to transmit two hours out of every six hours, and timed this transmission period to maximize satellite coverage. Because Satellites have an orbit of 101 minutes, we knew at least one orbit would occur during each two hour transmission cycle. Figure 6 shows the four transmission periods 14 Figure 5. The 1990 Argos-monitored radio tag for right whales, showing the Delrin endcap with the antenna and saltwater switch. The final version had a second antenna for the VHF radio (see Figure 8). ALS and relates them to the local time (EDT), sunrise and sunset. The optimum PTT initialization time to maximize data recovery was calculated (Figure 7), and resulted in initiating the first transmission sequence of the day at 05:15 (GMT). Because the transmission schedule was fixed at two hours out of every six, the number of possible messages received throughout the day was different from 1989. In 1990, the discrete information included the duration of the last dive, number of surfacings between transmissions and the internal temperature of the transmitter (Appendix B). Due to funding limitations, there was no pressure transducer for depth information. The temperature sensor was inside the transmitter and provided only an amorphous average of the animal’s recent temperature environment. Nonetheless, deep dives into temperature-stratified water were detected when the PTT reported long dives associated with colder temperatures. Short dives near the surface reported warmer temperatures. Summary information included the number of dives and average duration of all dives during a 6-hour summary period. Attachment A Stainless steel shaft, 6 mm in diameter and 14 cm long was mounted in each endcap. Since clean cuts heal faster than jagged cuts, a double-honed blade was used at the end of each shaft. Two pairs of folding barbs were mounted behind the blade (Figure 8). The cutting action of the blade reduced resistance to penetration allowing application with less power. One pair of barbs was in the plane of the entry blade and one pair was perpendicular. Deployment PTT performance was optimized when 1) the antenna was vertically oriented, and 2) the tag was well out of the water during each whale surfacing. Thus, we attempted to place the tag high on the back, approximately 1 m behind the blowhole. Close approaches were, therefore, required by our small boat to achieve proper antenna orientation and tag location. A modified Barnett 68 kg (150 pound) compound crossbow was used to accurately apply tags at distances up to 15 m. An aluminum shaft with a "C"-shaped tag holder fell away after tagging (Figure 8). Attention was devoted to velocity to avoid excessive impact and bruising by the tag. A bobbin-wound, 9 kg (20 lb) test line was used to recover the pushrod and tag if it missed its mark. Ballistic Tests Both the 1989 and the 1990 attachment systems were extensively tested on foam targets and gray whale skin and blubber to control accuracy, impact and antenna orientation. The gray whale samples were obtained from fresh carcasses found along the Washington and Oregon coasts. 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These tests had some relevance to animals rubbing the tag on the bottom or other animals. We found no effective way to simulate the long-term effects of hydrodynamic drag which would predict the process of pressure necrosis for a live animal. Transmitter Tests Tests of transmitter location accuracy were conducted in seawater ponds at the Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) at Newport, Oregon. Bio-Compatible Materials We reviewed tests of several metal and plastic materials for tissue bio-compati- bility (Geraci, et al., 1990; Hench, 1980; Wilson and Merwin, 1988). HDPE, a material tested by Geraci, et al. (1990), showed promise for tissue adhesion but did not possess enough structural strength on its own to act as an attachment. One potentially effective material which had not been tested on cetaceans was BioGlass® which softens so that tissue can grow into it. In 1990, we conducted tests of BioGlass® on a bottlenose dolphin at Sea World Orlando. The work was carried out under a NMFS permit in collaboration with Jack Pearson, Mike Walsh and Terry Campbell (Sea World Orlando) and Drs. Larry Hench and June Wilson-Hench (developers of BioGlass®), BioGlass® was used as a thin coating over five stainless steel pins which were inserted along the leading edge of the bottlenose dolphin’s dorsal fin as per the protocol of Geraci, et al. (1990). Three pins came out of the animal within three weeks and were recovered from the pool. The remaining two were loose and removed. There was no BioGlass® left on any of the pins. It appeared that the BioGlass® coating was too thin on the implanted samples and entirely dissolved, leaving nothing to which the tissue could adhere. No long-term damage resulted from the application of these materials. The insertion holes were already closed on the days pin losses were noted. Re-pigmentation of the area was complete within one week. Bottlenose Dolphin Test In July 1990 we attached a 1990 right whale tag to a large, female bottlenose dolphin in Tampa Bay, Florida using a dorsal fin saddle attachment (Scott, et al., 1990). The dolphin work was conducted in collaboration with Randy Wells whose program continued observations on the behavior and movements of the dolphin. The tag was attached with Delrin pins which were designed to break away if they caught on anything. The pack came off 26 days after tagging. In addition to collecting interesting data, four important factors are worth noting: 1) it took only 15 minutes to apply the tag; 2) the 20 tagging process caused no overt reaction from the animal; 3) the animal was resighted four to fourteen months after tag loss without holes or scarring on its dorsal fin; and 5) the dolphin was still in the company of her five-year-old calf whenever it was resighted (Wells, pers. comm.). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Transmitter Attachment and Effects 1989 In 1989 we attempted to tag 37 animals during 22 days at sea. Thirty of the attempts were with the dart-pulley-deployment-vehicle system and resulted in three misses, nine darts bouncing off the animal, six darts pulling out, five lines being broken, and assorted failures of swivels and latches (Mate et al.,in prep.). None of the dart- pulley-deployment-vehicle system attempts were successful in attaching a tag, but we did learn a great deal about the holding power of various dart configurations as a result of these attempts. The first darts, which were similar to straightened fishhooks, had been tested extensively on samples of gray whale skin and blubber, as no right whale samples were available. In carcass tests, these darts withstood a 45 kg straight pull. When, in the field, these darts pulled easily out of right whales, we revised a folding barb design which we had also tested prior to the field season. This dart used a sharpened blade at its tip to ease penetration and provide some initial purchase for a folding barb. These darts held well enough to break lines rated at 240 kg and provided the basis for our confidence in redesigning the 1990 attachments. Field studies revealed a number of areas in which our modelling of the situation had been inadequate. The two-stage attachment technique proved to be totally unsuccessful largely due to turbulence from tail flukes and drag which caused lines and swivels to break. The 1989 tag was relatively large and thus had considerable hydrodynamic drag. It might have been easier and possibly more successful to have eliminated the flotation of the deployment vehicle to reduce the drag. Because they were sO easy to approach, we attempted to tag animals in surface active groups (SAGs). However, because multiple animals were rolling next to one another, lines became entangled and broke. The pole technique was more successful. We tagged seven animals in seven attempts. A major factor in our late season success was the addition of Scott Kraus to our crew. His experience in maneuvering around right whales proved invaluable. However, none of the seven pole-deployed tags were attached well, and we observed tag losses one, two and three days after tagging. There were actually three versions of the subdermal attachment which evolved during the 1989 season as the result of the poor 7a AL performance of each previous type. None of the tags deployed completely. Tests on carcasses after the field season revealed that we had been misled by tests in the lab on "detached" sheets of blubber. High resolution 8 mm video shot at a high shutter-speed was used to record the action and revealed the problem when played back at slow speed. The video showed that the high energy sutures actually lifted the blubber into a "wrinkle" before penetrating, which resulted in an attachment we could not achieve on a live animal. This action occurred so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye and went undetected in our earlier, normal speed video records of pre-field laboratory tests. The single, limited success in 1989 was an adult male (PTT #843, NEA #1446) known as "Van Halen," which was tracked for 22 days. We believe this success was due in part to the modified attachment of the tag. One animal ("Admiral," NEA #1027) tagged in 1989 was observed in 1990 with a small, straight white scar. No other 1989 tagged animals have been resighted. 1990 We had little problem applying tags in 1990. Eight tags were applied in the first three days of the field season (see Figure 9). We used VHF signals to identify tagged individuals at a distance, and our New England Aquarium colleagues used callosity patterns and scars (Crone and Kraus, 1990) to confirm these identifications at close range. When we saw tagged animals, but did not hear a VHF signal, we made close approaches to document tag problems. The 6 mm stainless steel attachments were bent on at least two transmitters (by as much as 40 degrees) within two days. We do not know if the physical damage was caused by rubbing on other whales or on the bottom. However, as a result, a Delrin endcap was broken out of both cylinders, seawater entered the transmitter, and the batteries were shorted out. We confirmed endcap failures on two of the first eight animals we tagged. We used a modified design with attachments fastened to the cylinder itself to tag PTT #823 (NEA #1421). The modified tag transmitted for 43 days, matching the best of the eight original tags. At the range most whales were tagged, the power of the crossbow appeared adequate. Some tags may not have deployed completely. It was difficult to tell because the resilience of the blubber may have allowed the tag to "bounce" back when the barbs opened. Deployment may not have been complete if the tag had a poor angle of application. It would be necessary to test tags on fresh, dead specimens to answer some of these questions. Of the nine whales we tagged in 1990, we received data from seven and resighted five (Table 2). Only two had any swelling and both of these had obvious attachment problems. One whale (PTT #834, NEA #1248) was observed 8 days after tagging without its tag, but had one tyne still in the skin. The other (PTT #827, NEA #1941) was observed 6 days after tagging with one endcap pulled from the housing and the tag still attached by the other tyne. Both animals had swelling 1 cm - 2 cm high for a 5 cm radius around the attachments. The three other whales were resighted from 6 to 59 days 22 Figure 9. Whale (NEA #1981) with satellite tag (PTT #833) in 1990. 23 after tagging and showed no swelling whatsoever despite some attachments bending 60 degrees. "Wart" (PTT #839, NEA #1140) was seen 59 days after tagging (16 days after tag loss). There were no signs of swelling or infection and only a single 1 cm diameter white scar where the tag had been. Loss of tags may be ascribed (at least in part) to: 1) tissue rejection of a foreign object, 2) high levels of vigorous breeding activity and, 3) females with active calves. We also saw evidence of bottom contact when whales surfaced with mud on their heads. Transmitter Performance In 1989 and 1990 there were no PTT electronic failures, and frequency stability (necessary for accurate locations) was very good. While the transmitters performed exceedingly well in general (see Table 2), transmitted data were subject to error. Errors can be induced by interference during transmission from the PTT to the satellite or from the satellite to an earth station receiver, and can distort individual bits or whole sections of the message. The resulting erroneous message may or may not have reasonable values and must, therefore, be confirmed by independent means. Summary data for each summary period were confirmed when we had multiple transmissions. Alternative strategies were used to confirm discrete information. 1989 In 1989 a CRC code was a part of each message and was used to determine errors in the discrete portion of the message (Appendix A). The CRC code was calculated by the microprocessor in the PTT and sent as a part of each transmission so errors could be detected easily. Figure 10 illustrates the number of messages received during each 4-hour summary period from PTT #843. This was the only 1989 PTT to achieve any long-term track. The transmission scheme (synchronization of transmissions with satellite passes) worked well for south-north passes, and resulted in a high number of messages between 1600 - 2400 GMT. However, a failure of the software to coordinate with north-south orbits resulted in very few data points between 0400 and 1200 GMT. A total of 304 messages were received for PTT #843, and of these 33 (11%) contained errors detected by the CRC code. 1990 Of nine whales tagged in 1990, two did not provide any useful data, while seven provided from 22 - 665 messages each for a total of 1,466 messages (Table 3). Individual PTTs operated from 3 - 43 days for a total of 160 "Whale-tracking days." This body of information represents the largest data set available on dive durations, movements and long-term monitoring of any species of cetacean. In 1990, the Telonics ST-6 software did not include error detection codes. Instead, we checked to determine whether discrete dive durations were feasible and also used range limiters (see Appendix B). 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Ocl Ovl SADVSSAW # AVG AO AWIL SA SADVSSAW 43O YSEWAN TABLE SUMMARIZING RIGHT WHALE 1989-1990 SATELLITE TELEMETRY SEASON PTT# TOTAL TAG TOTAL # TOTAL # TOTAL # DISTANCE DAYS MESSAGES LOCATIONS DIVES TRAVELLED (KM) 843 22 297 71 12,209 1,523 ADULT MALE 823 43 136 47,591 3,030 ADULT MALE 825 1,510 AOU T REMSLE 827 JUV. FEMALE 831 1,3 ADULT MALE 833 4,981 JUV. ? SEX 839 ADULT FEMALE Sr GuANT FEMALE TOTALS * NO LOCATIONS DUE TO ARGOS ERROR TABLE 3. Summary of duration, messages, locations, dives and minimum distances traveled for right whales tagged in 1989 - 1990. 27 "sensor" data was discarded. The error rate by period is shown in Table 4. # TRANS- ERRORS ERROR RATE MISSIONS PERIOD 1 PERIOD 2 PERIOD 3 PERIOD 4 ALL PERIODS TABLE 4. Error rate, by period, for the 1990 6-hour summary periods. The highest error rates occurred from mid-day to midnight (Periods 4 and 1) and the lowest rate occurred from sunrise to mid-day (Period 3). The overall error rate of 19% is somewhat higher than that experienced by other Argos ocean users (15%) possibly because their buoys have stronger signals, larger batteries and larger antennae. The National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) has experienced error rates averaging 15% (Ray Partridge, pers. comm.). The NDBC performed direct monitoring tests using a local user terminal (LUT) and determined that most of the errors are induced after earth stations have received the downlinked messages from the satellites. Each re-transmission of the message adds additional risk of creating errors. In 1990, the new ST-6 transmitters had a software problem resulting in drift of the internal clock by two hours in a six week period for PTTs #823 and #839 (Figures 11 and 12). This drift resulted in fewer successful uplinks during the fourth transmission period (noon to dusk). Figure 13 illustrates the total number of orbits (passes) for each period and each PTT while Figure 14 illustrates the number of transmissions per period. The number of transmissions per minute and their relationship to periods of the day are shown in Figures 15 and 16. PTTs with the largest sample size (N = 126 for PTT #823 in Figure 15; N = 119 for PTT #839 in Figure 16) show a similar overall average rate of transmission but have different patterns in their relative distribution between periods. Because the transmitters had a minimum transmission rate of 40 to 52 seconds, the maximum number of transmissions per minute was I.5 to 1.1, respectively. We expected the number of transmissions/period to reflect the same pattern as the number of passes per period, but Period | (dusk to midnight) had the lowest number of transmissions despite having the highest number of passes. This may have been due to less surface resting. The high number of transmissions per minute reported during Periods 2 and 4 for PTT #840 (Figure 16) indicate that the animal was at the surface for long periods, which was confirmed by the discrete dive data (see "Surface Resting"). Thus, animal behavior can affect the number of transmissions received, the probability of locations and location accuracy. 28 PTT 823 =o . . PD | 41Pi0) OARS) {| (@o), oy (@) | =e Ip b tf f & > 4 Ga. IPD oe) qf a iH i : i" i: fe ae OF DAY (GMT) 1 4) TIME {| (9) to) S) / ? (ww) 6 J * We | PD on = pod OA- DB e565 = OQ IPD l | 7 Ol, (O) © | O taleet me =e SLO) uo) aa Toabaatenlaaleet -- ial Le 18 SER Zale Sale O85OCr 28 OCT DATE 1990 @u—PBRIOD) 1 hve —LERIODeZ = PERIODS iP ERIODA Figure 11. Time and date of transmissions received for PTT #823. Periods (PD 1-4) designate initial 2-hour transmission times. 29) ae Ss oO) ey — 4 Cro a PD 1 ae Zo A A VAN Wa — eho: 4 on Vi 27. A = = tn, PA AR) oS oad gs A 0 co z 12) 215 | pd Aueaall mF fal Os Soa Oya Sao Sa ee Se oS G iA ahs) Eee Me eee eS oe Lc, 159) gall, 3 Zh leas pai | a ss © eal = = 2 4 Ve V WY ~ Vi 7, Vz WA a N/ ’ Teg, ees ag, v |ene2 5 IY Ae Pies oa es | Cor fe Oy Oe ete O nas cen ae LO eho ors eam 29 AUG 08 SEP 18 SEP SEP OKSY OXCME DATE 1990 ©) =PERIOD 1 VY =PERIOD 2 O =PERIOD 3 A =PERIOD 4 Figure 12. Time and date transmissions were received for PTT #839. Periods (PD 1-4) designate initial 2-hour transmission times. 30 TOTAL NUMBER OF PASSES PER PERIOD 50 T T - @ PTT 823 N=665 . v PTT 839 N=528 23+ \- —___ @ ALL PTTS - — COMBINED N=1446 100 - ENS sa SS SS 75 “H al me On 5 3 i = el = <— Dey he A, = ~e a —&, o | oe O z >) — T = O PTT 825 N=30 Z © PIT 827 N=22 25 V7 PTL 831 N=23 Ss © PIT 833 N=112 2 A PTT 840 N=86 1s ti O . ee Vv : Vv y, © DO 0 Silla l l On il 2 3 a PERIOD Figure 13. A comparison of the total number of passes received during 6-hour summary periods for PTTs #823, #825, #827, #831, #833, #839 and #840. TOTAL NUMBER OF TRANSMISSIONS PER PERIOD 500 2 - Ho @ PIT 823 N=665 WaeTInese N=526 0° i @ ALL PTTS \ 4 ( - ; = 9° TF COMBINED N=1446/ ee : a 300 + y r ET es Rana 100 F ‘ 4 PTT 825 N=30 PTT 827 N=22 PTT 831 N=23 PTT 840 N=86 >JOuU b< 30 + es ‘ = TOTAL NUMBER OF TRANSMISSIONS 2 3 4 PERIOD Figure 14. A comparison of the total number of transmissions received during 6-hour summary periods for PTTs #823, #825, #827, #831, #833, #839 and #840. 32 NUMBER OF TRANSMISSIONS PER MINUTE VS TIME OF DAY ZOO = I = =I 7 | N= 39 39 31 17 126 PTT 8234 1.5, 2 | ] 1 7 1 fs aig z ea I jj S| 4 | @ @ @ 4 0.5 ' | | i : 0.0 | : oe He : [=] alae x | os | N= 3 1 3 0 7 PIT 825 | Sees d a ] S = 4 = 1 1 SO — Yn 7] ° 7 ZG 7 dL 1 On dosy 4 n | | na | | = 0 T a [= ” ‘9) Ze 2.0 | Saal = ine oa 1 3 0 7 PTT 8271 amie 4 &, O ; 1 lac 1.0 | e =| fa = 02 e 7 =) | aI Zz | 4 OG r l i ine) >) wo | ] 1 1 2 Te SPUN Koshi spi = : a a 10) z e 4 0.5 | ‘ ° 4 ) e : 0.0 | | | =" ] ] 1 2 3 4 ALL PERIOD Figure 15. A comparison of the average number of transmissions per minute for each 6- hour summary period for PTTs #823, #825, #827 and #831. Error bars indicate one standard deviation. 3:3 NUMBER OF TRANSMISSIONS PER MINUTE VS TIME OF DAY PAO ——— 7 {N= 7 9 5 6 27 PTT 8334 125 5} = Zt 4 aul OlsS | | : "f e ‘ | 0.5 4 a0 Al 4 i | a 5 2.0 J Sl | il ts a] = {NS 31 35 30 23 119 PTT 8394 25 15 4 Z q | = oe 5; | : a te) | | > os 7 = 2 | 7 Zz 1 r $ ° e 1 S055 4 op) ; ae = a n | = | = Orers : ep qT) Ze Oa | T 4 a Nai 5 4 5 4 18 PTT 8404 a eelheS + - at ry . & 4 ry ale 4 Oo | 1 4 ait = e 5 pe) gO! 4 Fa | 1 4 e iL 1 = Ors | if q = | : : 0.0 4 lz, a 2.0 a] ar = T 1 1 N=. 89 90 78 52 309 PTT ALL} 1.5 4 a on 4 0.5 4 0.0 4 if = 1 2 3 4 ALL PERIOD Figure 16. A comparison of the average number of transmissions per minute for each 6- hour summary period for PTTs #833, #839, #840 and all PTTs combined. Error bars indicate one standard deviation. 34 Locations and Movements In 1989, 71 locations were determined in 22 days for the only whale (PTT #843, NEA #1146) successfully tracked. Seven of the nine transmitters applied in 1990 provided more than one day of information, but two of these (PTT #827 and PTT #831) did not provide any locations. An insufficient number of messages was obtained from PTT #827 to calculate locations. Service Argos failed to establish a frequency stability file for PTT #831, resulting in a complete loss of location information. (However, sensor data for these animals. were available and are included in the analyses.) During the 1989 and 1990 seasons, 356 locations were computed (an average of 2.3/day) for the six whales. Together they traveled at least 9,590km. The number of locations varied from 7 - 136 per individual animal and distances traveled varied from 302 - 3,833 km per individual (Table 3). The distances we calculated were based on straight lines between locations and are thus clearly minimum estimates of actual distances traveled. In 1989, Argos did not classify locations or provide zero class locations. Table 5 identifies the number of locations in each location class for each of the five transmitters deployed during the 1990 season. The lowest location class has an unknown accuracy and accounted for 65% of all locations. Argos claims that 67% of the locations in each class are actually within the specified distance associated with that class. Thus, 67% of the locations in Class | are within | km from their calculated position. The low number of transmissions during Period | dramatically affected the number of locations during that period. LOCATION CLASS INFORMATION 22 12 UNKNOWN en eo (88%) tas (86%) 1 KM Fes Gon aes) Es Aes cams 1 14 0 es on (4%) (13%) (0%) 0 0 0 (0%) (0%) (0%) 25 110 14 Table 5. Summary of location classes for PTTs #823, #825, #833, #839 and #840. 315 Juveniles Two juveniles were tagged (PTT #827 and PTT #833) and data were received for 3 and 12 days respectively. Of the two, only PTT #833 (NEA #1981), an animal of unknown sex, provided locations. It stayed in the same general area, traveling at least 576 km between 26 locations (Figure 17) for an average of 48 km/day. The majority of this juvenile’s activity was at the northern end of the deepest part of the main Fundy shipping channel, along the 180 m (100 fathom) contour line (Figure 18). This general region was where most whales were tagged because it had the highest concentration of right whales. It is also the main shipping channel in the Bay of Fundy (see "Conclusions"). Females with calves Two adult females with calves were tagged. One of these, "Wart" (PTT #839, NEA #1140), was tracked tor 42 days and traveled at least 3,833 km between 111 locations for an average of 2.6 locations and 90 km per day (Figure 19). The first two weeks after tagging were spent in the Fundy (shipping) Channel east of Grand Manan and the shallower waters south of Grand Manan. During the next three weeks, the animal traveled a largely coastal route (usually within 120 km of shore) to New Jersey and subsequently returned to the Bay of Fundy. This movement demonstrated four major points: 1) right whales can move long distances over short periods of time; 2) the resighting of the tagged animal six weeks later in the same area would previously have been misinterpreted as a minimum estimate of residency time in the Bay of Fundy, which it was not; 3) some animals prefer a "nearshore" route of movement; and 4) temales with calves have sufficient energy reserves to travel widely and are not restricted to a specific area during this time of year. It is not known why this pair traveled so far or took this route. Among the many possibilities are: searching for food, introducing the calf to areas of potential feeding importance, exercising the calf, and recreation. 36 SATELLITE TRACKED RIGHT WHALE MOVEMENTS WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC PTT #833 NEA #1981 25 AUG-06 SEP 1990 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Ailometers F]100-500 FATHOMS — 500-2000 FATHOMS 339 1000-1500 FATHOMS “150-100 FATHOMS 2000-2500 FATHOMS _}1050 FATHOMS ow FATHOMS Figure 17. Satellite-monitored movements of PTT #833 (NEA #1981), a juvenile animal of unknown sex. See Figure 18 for more detailed scale. Note: lines show chronological order of locations and a minimum travel of 576 km. 3)7/ Ss ~~ SY Be eS ee SATELLITE MONITORED RIGHT WHALE MOVEMENT WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC [ PTT #833 NEA #1981 25 AUG-—06 SEP 1990) I 0 5 #10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 ———— 7 BBB 1000-1500 FATHOMS ; ? EF 500-1000 FATHOMS “\50-100 FATHOMS 10-50 FATHOMS t |0-10 FATHOMS Evo | “ = PTT 833 NEA 1981 Figure 18. Details of satellite-monitored movements of PTT #833 (NEA #1981), a juvenile animal of unknown sex. 38 SATELLITE MONITORED RIGHT WHALE MOVEMENT WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC 1990 PTT #839 NEA #1140 29 AUG —- 5 OC DEPTH IN FATHOMS SCALE 1:4,000,000 Oo 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 aulica les Figure 19. Satellite-monitored movements of PTT #839 (NEA #1140), an adult female with her calf. Note: lines show chronological order of locations and a minimum travel of 3,833 km. 39 A second female with a calf (PTT #825, NEA #1629), showed a restricted range similar to the juvenile’s, moving only 302 km in 10 days between seven locations (Figure 20) for an average of only 30 km/day. The female’s nursing posture at the surface may have allowed her to breathe without her transmitter being exposed as frequently as the juvenile’s. The average rate of speed for this female/calf pair was 1.25 km/hr. This included travel in the Fundy Channel, an area of heavy ship traffic. Adult female One adult female ("Stripe") tagged with PTT #840 (NEA #1135) has a well documented reproductive history (Appendix C) and last had a calf in 1987. On the basis of her previous calving intervals, she was expected to be estrous in the 1990 season and produce a calf in the winter of 1991 - 1992. She was observed in September 1991 with a calf and was, therefore, pregnant in 1990. When first sighted during the 1990 season by the NEA whale research group, she was unusually active, moving around rapidly at the surface, but was never seen in breeding SAGs. Although the tag survived only seven days, it provided 15 locations which documented a minimum of 793 km of travel for an average daily speed of 113 km per day (Figure 21). This was the highest average speed of any animal recorded during the study and encompassed movements from the Bay of Fundy to Brown’s Bank, Baccaro Bank and Emerald Basin (all areas known for large surface active breeding aggregations during this time of year). These movements might be expected of an estrous female seeking out areas of high male concentration, but was a bit surprising for a pregnant female, and may suggest that these areas are also important for feeding. Adult males Three adult males were tagged. An adult male (PTT #843, NEA #1140), known as "Van Halen" was tagged on 15 October 1989 (Figure 22). This was the last of the "decent" weather in 1989 and the latest in the year that any whale was tagged. It was also the first whale successfully tagged in this project. "Van Halen" moved south to Brown’s Bank, east to Baccaro Bank and then traversed the Gulf of Maine to Jeffrey's Ledge in the western Gulf. In 22 days, this animal covered 1523 km (x = 69 km/day). The first week of movements mirrored those of the adult female "Stripe" (PTT #840) and suggested a male in search of breeding aggregations. However, in the western Gulf of Maine, "Van Halen" stopped moving at high speed and changed his diving characteristics. Activity was concentrated in two areas with productive physical features: the eastern edge of Jeffrey’s Ledge (Figure 23), known for upwelling, and north of Jeffrey’s Ledge where a seasonal eddy could favor copepod concentration (Bigelow, 1927). Another adult male, (PTT #823, NEA #1421) was tagged 12 September 1990 and traveled at an average rate of 70 km/day covering at least 3,030 km in 43 days between 136 locations (Figure 24). "Willie" immediately moved south out of the Bay of Fundy and then traveled southeast to an area 500 km offshore, where 2,200 m deep sea mounts rise from a depth of 4,200 m. The whale then went north through Baccaro Banks, Emerald Basin and Roseway Basin and then south through the same area. Right whales are commonly seen in 40 SATELLITE TRACKED RIGHT WHALE MOVEMENTS WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC PTT #825 NEA #1629 26 AUG - 06 SEP 90 0 5 10 15 20 2 30 35 Tifometers low Fathoms {}s0-00 Fathoms $25] 500-1000 Fathoms $33 1000-1500 Fathoms Bun Figure 20. Satellite-monitored movements of PTT #825 (NEA #1629), an adult female with a calf. Note: lines show chronological order of locations and a minimum travel of 302 km. 41 SATELLITE TRACKED RIGHT WHALE MOVEMENTS WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC 1990 PTT #840 NEA #1135 24 AUG - 31 AUG 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Tlometers FE 00-000 Fathoms $1 1000-1500 Fathoms BJ 300-2000 Fathoms Mj 2000-2500 Fathoms Figure 21. Satellite-monitored movements of PTT #840 (NEA #1135), a pregnant, adult female. Note: lines show chronological order of locations and a minimum travel of 793 km. 42 SATELLITE MONITORED RIGHT WHALE EUBALAENA GLACIALIS PTT 843 N. ATLANTIC 15 OCT-5S NOV 1989 DEPTH IN FATHOMS 20 40 60 80 100 120 "Kitlom a — | ilometers PBB 2500-3000 FATHOms [BJ 2000-2500 FATHOMS #23 500-2000 FATHOMS ff 1000-1500 FATHOMS #28 500-1000 FATHOMS 3] 00-500 FATHOMS [450-700 FaTHoms — f--.|10-50 FATHOMS 0-10 FATHOMS Bvo @ 34 - 68m A 68 - 02m @ 12 - Bom * Be - 170m B 10 - 204m + 204 - 238m O No comparable data Figure 22. Satellite-monitored movements of PTT #843 (NEA #1146), an adult male tagged in 1989. Note: lines show chronological order of locations and a minimum travel of 1,523 km. Symbols represent the deepest dive during the 4-hour summary period when location was obtained. 43 Satellite monitored Right Whale Detail — Jeffrey's Ledge, Gulf of Maine “lea ; Cee PTT #843 NEA #1146 25 Oct-5 Nov 1989| _/~"| oe ME ne Symbols = approximate depth of dive [-- ‘2 ae 05 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 ie E | | ilometers = pest | F ]50-100 FATHOMS A: | | |0-70 FATHOMS E @ 102 - 36m W170 - 204m © No comparable data Figure 23. Satellite-monitored movements of PTT #843 (NEA #1146), an adult male. Detail of Jeffrey's Ledge, Gulf of Maine. Symbols represent the deepest dive during the 4- hour summary period when location was obtained. 44 these areas in late summer. The last two days were spent over German Bank and Lurcher Shoal off the southern tip of Nova Scotia (see Figure 24). Further interpretation of these movements is in the discussion of satellite imagery and sea surface temperatures. A third adult male, "Necklace" (PTT #831, NEA #1152), provided dive data for 15 days but due to an Argos software problem, never produced any location information. Animals were usually relocated by the observation vessel using Argos-acquired locations despite a two to six hour delay in obtaining these locations. Observation was most common for three whales (four times for PTT #833, and three times for #839 and #825, see Table 2). PTT #833 and #825 were observed by us and stayed ina small area near the tagging site. Several animals departed the area soon after tagging, and it was impossible to confirm their locations outside our study area with the available logistics. "Wart,"a female with a calf, was opportunistically resighted three times by other whale researchers working in the Gulf of Maine/BOF. All reported that the calf was still with the female (C. Mayo, pers. comm., D. Wiley, pers. comm., and C. Hancock, pers. comm.). Argos locations were fortuitously determined at the same time and were within 1 km of the LORAN-determined locations reported by these researchers. Water Depths Five of six whales spent all of their time in water less than 500 fathoms deep. All six spent the majority of their time in water less than 200 fathoms. Water depths were taken from NOAA charts 13009, 13003, 1109 (US) and Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans #L/C 4003 and L/C 4011. A summary of the water depth preferences for individuals is found in Table 6. (These charts reported water depths in fathoms and for convenience we refer to water depths in fathoms in this section only. Table 6 also shows these values in meters.) Because of their long range movements, more emphasis is given to: 1) "Stripe," the pregnant female (PTT #840); 2) "Wart,"the female with a calf (PTT #839); 3) "Willie,"an adult male (PTT #823); and 4) another adult male, "Van Halen," (PTT #843). All of "Stripe’s"recorded movements (Figure 21) were within the 500 fathom contour. Only 6.7% of the activity was in less than 10 fathoms of water while the greatest activity was in the 10 - 50 fathom range (40%) or SO - 100 fathoms (40%). Only 13.3% of the activity was in water deeper than 100 fathoms. "“Wart’s"movements (Figure 19) were quite comparable with 9% of movement in less than 10 fathoms, 44% in the 10 - 50 fathom range, 43% in the 50 - 100 fathom range and only 4% in depths greater than 100 fathoms. "Willie"(PTT #823) spent 37% of his time in water deeper than 100 fathoms (Figure 24). Less than 1% of "Willie’s"time was in water less than 18 fathoms. The first two categories of highest rank were 37% in 10 - 50 fathom water and 25% in 50 - 100 fathoms including 13% in water 2500 - 3000 fathoms. We believe "Van Halen’s" (PTT #843) track (Figure 22) can be examined as two separate activities: high speed movements and feeding. 45 SATELLITE MONITORED RIGHT WHALE MOVEMENT WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC 1990 PTT. 4823 NEA #1421 12 SEP? = 24 OCT Depths in Fathoms Seale 1:3,500,000 0 20 40 60 80 — a =x Kilometers Figure 24. Satellite-monitored movements of PTT #823 (NEA #1421), an adult male. Note: lines show chronological order of locations and a minimum travel of 3,030 km. 46 ‘PSH PUL OPS ‘6ES# ‘CER# ‘STRH ‘ETR# SLLd 10} JoIeM Jo sydap snore UI suoNPdo] Jo satouanba1{ “9 FIGRL aco ($4232) Hid3a L9°¢ el £7 90°79 6 + = : : os : 8 - . OSE | OO¢ OSZ 00Z | Le | s mM a) | WIM We THT | | ost = | | NW | | 2 OOL. = oO | | | al lekesd os O Se eee ecie| Cle) NOU Gay = EVAN: SOs er cle INI 59 FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM FOR DEPTH OF DIVE (DIVES 120 SECONDS) PTT 843 SEN) FREQUENCY ILI 34-68 68-10 102-136 136-170 170—204 204 DEP TE OF DIVE (METERS) Figure 26. Frequency histogram of discrete dive depths (+/- 17 meters) for PTT #843 (1989). Sill ‘s1ajJaW pE SI UONNOSa1 yIdaq ‘uoise1 Aq (spouad Arewuins mnoy-p wos) syidap aalp Winulixew Jo suoNNqisip Aouanbaly G6] JO UOSURdUIOD “LZ FIND AGNN4ARSY daar a{ | 44a? SN2i SNMOUS Ee (SHALAW) AAIG AO HLdAd 908-222 7lz2-8E7 BET-vO? VOT-OZLI OZI-9EL GEL-cOlL cOl-89 89-FE ve-O Od N uw) OV 09 08 OO|l (LN40 YAd) AONANODAYS GOIWdSd AYVWWAS YNOH YNOA ONIGNG WAWIXVW AAIG AO HLdAd SPEED HISTOGRAM US =| (Pk = “4 aI T aa =a alle aT = | ( ] 70 PERIODS 1-4 COMBINED _] ALE PDS | 5, OY ail 1 0 =| | xo —_ wat AGW Gah Sarl Gy Roy | | | S GaP GW Gey sr! Ue) Re / PERIOD 1 23:16—05:15 =| PAIRIOID) 2) OSs tals ils) so a ! PR RODNS Wi t6—1 7: 1s 4 = PERIOD 4 WrN6—Zeaato) || E20 S = Q A H H | a } epee allem | uJ 7] | oe | | fam) — ve) a) Figure 28. Distribution of minimum travel speeds (km/hr) calculated from Argos-determined locations for PTTs: #823, #825, #833, #839 and #840 tagged in 1990. Times are GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). SPEED HISTOGRAM PTT 843 VAN HALEN PERIODS 1-6 COMBINED Hh, FREQUENCY SPEED (KM/HR) Figure 29. Frequency histogram of minimum travel speeds (km/hr) for PTT #843, an adult male tagged in 1990. 54 SPEED HISTOGRAM ~~ SS eal T nA PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED Gea PTT 823 al 4 ~~ =| os Zz 50 | oS =U) =| =| = = 50) = ni@On— aa | O + it == amt = — =I) (el Waal smh We) Se) eS coy eh SS) SI IG) a ia Re) S16 (© (©' TS AO ASG 4 SO ent et Pat A ett | (Tle | S) Scale Sap) We) ROP 7S eel’ Gy) Sr" sew) Ga ud © aS! © © “© “© © © -O “COC -O =] SS St BS Ss St TS IS T ine a f N) PHRIOD 28 lo Oo ls Sie) =| ——--- _ = =| —— PROD ee WosltO— eis) 4) atl | ; is j PERIOD! 3 tel6— 7S: 4] va li ==) = - i} O | | PERIOD 4 17:16—23:15 Zz es | = ey = * ea oD = 4 4 = | 4 es | iH O ll fA oi AB : o GU aa Sa Kay Ors) Co) Kops SS) St OW) ea) Sa) W@ SO SS So fo % 7© <6) 1 eS SS SS SSS | | | | | | | | | | Sa OQ CO = 1S OR LO Jo Saw a + we © SS 26 se! sO: (©) 42) ko) GO) Fe aS Ee oS SPEED (KM/HR) Figure 30. Frequency histogram of minimum travel speeds (km/hr) for PTT #823, an adult male tagged in 1990. 55 SPEED HISTOGRAM 1S —S— SS Tt [==> ee ln l ) g 18 4 1 SV 0h = sl ) A psec Later (oe ES Ss =) SQ0) (Col SSHONEON ES NCO ©) —O Ete ar wt 1 : & Sie, «or OS oS SC! Sy (eee SF > oS) SS SS | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SiGe a pee) “Le Ro (Se Coy Gr) SS) J GQ) Cl st Te) co ONO "© "Oo 9S "Oo “CO “OO 6 Sa ea Ss St ot SPEED (KM/HR) Figure 31. Frequency histogram of minimum travel speeds (km/hr) for PTT #825, an adult female and calf tagged in 1990. 56 - SPEED HISTOGRAM 80 SS SS. = Sa FAO te PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED J Piss SS 2 \ =I = oS) — PS, DU =) = fy = ee (ag Su + x =] & Gk is SOF | HO); = = 0 = » Ld —- = ____— Tate QV. cD Nike AQ) KO (Sec) Oy -@) ot. . | QU Ie Ty UG) Or & si S S&S OS © 1©@ © Oo Sj] a SS oS! HS oS ih vi ok aly pee el eee Selma Bl eel eG A Sr 51, (GO) |Ga) wih NOP iO) VS FCS) ies CO) ES! GD) ee SLO 515) Sea aa ere alee oo 20) QNH PERIOD 1 23:16—05:15 NY, i | Sal =} PERIOD 2 05:16-11:15 £125 | VZA PERIOD 3 11:16-17:15 _| S PERIOD 4 17:16—23:15 CE NG | a fa 20 S 4. en OS sa fae | =o =| o {all tel its SSS pT =a wo + ie © ao Co] aa = © oO = i ib athe oa AE Sa fat tke Fi | SF = QU (a) —H Ol KOPF WF Ico (ep) SF = seu co = LO? US aq oGo ec oe eo © oe 2S] =] = = Figure 32. Frequency histogram of minimum travel speeds (km/hr) for PTT #833, a juvenile of unknown sex tagged in 1990. Di SPEED HISTOGRAM Kay = PERIODS 1-4 COMBINED Pi 839 SH A ie =| = —> CI ‘aa a | | —— = SoS =o= 1.41 2.86 2.43 speed ave 2 35.69) 3 Li, IEG aie! 23> SRS 2.16 4.83 5.18 speed count 2 82.00 43.00 3.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 26.00 5.00 speed maximum 2 M6582 ~ 6545 1.88 --- --- S24 l6. S258 speed minimum 2 (OGabat QO. 12 Oo S)7/ SO =e 0.33 0.66 O79 speed stdev 2 3.66 2.94 0.38 SI a we :) 4.58 Bio S)S) speed ave 3} 3.43 3.48 5.34 == SSS 2673 S135 5.42 speed count 3 92.00 42.00 1.010 0.00 0.00 10.00 36.00 3.00 speed maximum 3 LA Ud 9.857 5.34 SS= SS 35 BS) aS Sie aA 7/7/ speed minimum 3 0.42 0.42 5.34 SSS soe Oe 51: 0.95 O57 speed stdev 3} 2.38 2627) 0.00 QS ao 1.86 2.13 5.28 speed ave 4 33910 3.94 2.203 SQ => 2.30 4.38 2.18 speed count 4 66.00 33.00 2.00 0.00 0.00 4.00 25.00 2.00 speed maximum 4 1393” BESO, 3/3316 --- --- Boel Walsyaue 2.19 speed minimum 4 0.06 0.06 Olav --- --- 1.54 0.78 Qreplia, speed stdev 4 As) 7 oe) d Ls3i2 255 aS 0.49 32 0.01 Table 7. Speed (km/hr) data summarized by period for whales tagged in 1990. Ave = average speed for the designated period; count = # of summary periods from which Statistics were computed; maximum/minimum = maximum/minimum speed during the summary period designated; stdev = standard deviation of the average; period 0 = all periods combined; PTTALL = all PTTs combined. Unable to calculate speed for PTT 827 and 831 due to lack of reliable location data. 61 Data from locate table for RW90 Errors removed PERIOD PTTALL PTT823 PTT825 PTT827 PTT831 PTT833 PTT839 PTT840 speed ave 0) 3i7/3 Soul 2.26 SoS SSS 2.44 4.11 4.85 speed ave al 45115 4.40 --- --- SSS 2.24 4.17 s58)3) speed ave 2 3769 37 IG she} SDS sSS 2.16 4.83 Byoak:! speed ave 3 3.43 3.48 5.34 SoS SSS PASTS} 31/35 5.42 speed ave 4 3.90 3.94 2.03 a =o> ASS EK0) 4.38 2.18 49.00 17.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 23.00 4.00 speed maximum 0) 1£6)\8i2 = 65 5.34 => >> 665) 618/252 ania, speed maximum at habe bat 91916 SS> SOS SSD 4.48 11.121 8°73 speed maximum 2 16) S265 1.88 SSS ed 5.24 16.82 “11.58 speed maximum 3 IANS FZ Cath 7/ 5.34 SSS SSS SS Sym ake site ales 7/7/ speed maximum 4 13) 93h 13 67 3.36 --- --- PECs erway ges) 2.19 speed minimum 0) 0.06 0.06 Ol. 7a. SSS SSS 0.33 O55 0557 speed minimum al 0.55 Wseh7/ --= === — ao 0.61 @oSS ZO speed minimum 2 (opal @galil 01.1917, --- --- 0.33 0.66 0.79 speed minimum 3 0.42 0.42 5.34 -=— —— (ovmieyal 0.95 5 S37/ speed minimum 4 0.06 0.06 On 712 --- =——— 1.54 0.78 Drei 7, speed stdev 0 PAS E)T/ P46 Tak 1.63 => SSS 162 3.29 3/30 speed stdev al 2.61 2.25 SSS SS> SSS 1.41 2.86 2.43 speed stdev 2 3.66 2.94 0.38 SoS 2S 1.78 4.58 3.95 speed stdev 3 2.38 Paral 0.00 --- SS 1.86 Zio 5.28 speed stdev 4 2.97 2.97 1.32 SOS == 0.49 Sie 0.01 Table 8. Speed data summarized by category and PTT. See note Table 7 for details. 62 Somer Dy VS DATE ZN) | | J T ee 12 lal yz) RO 20 : : au led xsreksiey Oe a eae 1 a lt, | SS O st T i lation I | ELL aL pe ULE pS LD 1 Tot T =o 4 NZ PONT T T i | Da PTT 839 eal 20 e PLI-840 os A | ) RES eae sal oes ae T Til gis a ane e av) io) = nN j=) SI nN oO A, au au = = = => ea ica ea) oO oO O < vp) Y op) © ‘eo oO DATE (1990) Figure 36. Chronological comparison of speeds (km/hr) during the 1990 tracking study for PTTs #823, #833, #839 and #840. Bars represent speed during a 6-hour summary period. 63 Diving Behavior During 160 whale-track days, summary data were recorded on 92,963 dives (12,209 in 1989 and 80,754 in 1990). The only two summary items recorded in like fashion for 1989 and 1990 were the number of dives and the average dive duration during 4 and 6-hour summary periods, respectively. This section will: 1) review these data; 2) discuss two subsets of the data: zero duration "dives" (surface resting behavior) and the time spent submerged; and 3) examine the relationship between speed of travel and dive patterns. Number _ of dives 1989 The number of dives in a 4-hour summary period for PTT #843 varied from 117 to 403 with an average of 182 + 57 (45.2/hr. see Figure 39). Allowing for a 3 s surface time, this provided an average dive duration of 75 s compared to an average of 74 s for discrete dive information from the same animal. The average number of dives was generally consistent for all areas and periods (Figure 40). The highest average number of dives (227 + 84) occurred east of Jeffrey’s Ledge between 0400 - 0800 GMT (2300 to 0300 EST), during darkness. The second highest average number of dives (204 + 64) occurred on Brown’s Bank between 2000 and 2400 GMT (1500 - 1900 EST) and is 40% higher than all other periods of the day for that region. This period includes dusk, which is when the deep scattering layer (DSL) first appears near the surface and may, therefore, be the start of more active shallow feeding. 64 PTT 823 WILLIE 1990 SPEEDS CALCULATED FROM ARGOS SATELLITE}, MONITORED LOCATIONS 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 ilometers @ spED <5 KMR @5 > PED ye SPEED > 10 KM/HR Figure 37. Speeds calculated from Argos satellite-monitored locations for PTT #823, a known adult male. 05 41 00 40 0 a YG } J i ny e a5) ¢ R] oO | PTT 839 WART 1990 | SPEEDS CALCULATED FROM ARGOS SATELLITE)! MONITORED LOCATIONS QO 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 llometers @ SPEDS?S KMHR «= 5S < PED £10 3k SPEED > 0 KM/HR | Figure 38. Speeds known female with a 1990 calf. calculated from Argos satellite-monitored locations for PTT #839, a 66 FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: NUMBER OF DIVES DURING A FOUR HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD Prt 843): — 1989 FREQUENCY ooo DON T T T TAN Z9 ) on } / Y YANO 200 SAC SOU NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 39. Frequency histogram of number of dives during a 4-hour summary period for PTT #843 (1989). 67 ‘(€pS# LLd) 6861 Ul passer ayeym 1ys sew ke IO} ‘eaIe o1ydeisoad pue Aep jo own Aq padnoss spoued Arewwins inoy-p Sutinp saarp Jo Jaquinu asesaae Jo uosuedwod “Op 21nd WO9D AGNN4 KYO SNMOUS[ |) «Addr ae] «043 IN (LWS SYNOH) Avd 4O AWIL 00vc-0002 0002-009! O09I-O00cI ON0Z!I-0080 0080-00%0 OO0F0-0 — ets eyey! x 7 OSl AA Z BZ 002 Z OSz Z O0€ ak: eS © eee 2 Ose SAHAIO AO YAEWNN S IWAYALNI AXYVINNNAS GNOH YNOS YNIGNG SAAIG AO YAENNN ADVESAAV 1990 A statistical analysis of the 80,754 dives recorded during 6-hour summary periods is shown in Tables 9 and 10. The data are depicted graphically in Figure 41. The number of dives during a six hour period ranged from 55 to 920. Frequency histograms of the number of dives/six hour period are shown for all whales combined (Figure 42) and each individual whale (Figures 43 - 49). The average number of dives in a 6-hour period for all animals was 268 + 159 dives (X = 44.6/hr.). Individually, "Willie"(PTT #823) had a highest average number of dives (x = 384 + 181). His 66 dives/hour were 43% higher than "Van Halen" (PTT #843), another adult male tagged in 1989. The maximum count for PTT #823 ranged from 698 to 920 dives for the different periods while the maximum for all other whales was no higher than 413. The highly mobile female with a calf, "Wart" (PTT #839), averaged only half as many dives (192 dives + 54) per period (x = 32/hr.) as PTT #823, despite a comparable distance traveled. The periods with very high numbers of dives for PTT #823 occurred on 21 September coinciding with the animal’s most southerly travel into an area of deep, warm water at the edge of the Gulf Stream. The juvenile (PTT #833) and female with a calf (PTT #839) had an identical mean number of dives. The fastest moving female (PTT #840) showed one of the lowest average number of dives per period (x = 139 dives + 96). The lowest number of dives was shown by a two year old (PTT #827) with a mean of 126 + 7 but may have been due to the extremely small sample size (n = 5). For four of the six whales, the highest number of dives occurred during the period from mid-day to dusk (Period 4) and the lowest number of dives occurred during the period from midnight to dawn (Period 2). Both PTT #823 (Figure 43) and PTT #839 (Figure 48) have large sample sizes but exhibit different dive distributions. Figures 50 and 51 show the distribution of the number of dives in a six hour period versus the calendar date. The time scale was kept uniform to determine if variations in dive count varied with weather. Only PTT #823 and PTT #839 had sufficient data for comparison and did not show any obvious trends in day to day variation which would reflect changes due to weather. 69 Data from summary table for RW90 Errors removed PERIOD PTTALL PTT823 PTT825 PTT827 PTT831 PTT833 PTT839 PTT840 dnum ave (0) 268 384 216 126 PRBS} 192 192 139 dnum count fe) 301 124 7, 5 6 26 116 17 dnum maximum (0) 920 920 413 138 297 333 341 387 dnum minimum 0) 55) 70 108 119 204 55 68 55 dnum stdev 0 159 181 91 Zh Spl: 67 54 96 dnum sum 0 80754 47591 1510 630 1399 4981 22273 2370 dnum ave al 269 37.0 250 130 aa2 178 180 141 dnum count al 86 40 3 1 2 7 29 4 dnum maximum aL 885 885 413 130 245 324 289 PxehS dnum minimum al 68 79 108 130 218 68 95 82 dnum stdev al 158 TiS 125 ) 13 82 46 59 dnum ave Z 262 37/5 135 138 204 161 193 66 dnum count 2 88 38 aL al 1 8 a5 4 dnum maximum 2 698 698 35 138 204 Pa / 292 ah dnum minimum 2 55 95 NY) 138 204 55 68 55 dnum stdev 2 154 167 0 0 ie) 49 51 4) dnum ave 3 262 364 209 2 207 225 199 alst7/ dnum count 3 76 sjal 3} 2 a 5 29 5 dnum maximum 3 811 (lala isk! 1233 207 335 296 286 dnum minimum 3 61 70 182 119 207 166 98 61 dnum stdev 3 155 188 Ayal 2 0 66 57 81 dnum ave 4 286 484 --- 120 263 220 196 215 dnum count 4 yal LS fe) aL 2 6 23 4 dnum maximum 4 920 920 --- 120 297 PAgfal 341 387 dnum minimum 4 68 134 --- 120 228 168 80 68 dnum stdev 4 ilg/s' 187 --- ie} 34 36 60 129 Table 9. Number of dives summarized by period for whales tagged in 1990. Ave = average number of dives for the designated period; count = # of summary periods from which statistics were computed; maximum/minimum = maximum/minimum number of dives counted during the summary period designated; stdev = standard deviation of the average; period 0 = all periods combined; PTTALL = all PTTs combined. 70 Data from summary table for RW90 Errors removed PERIOD PTTALL PTT823 PTT825 PTT827 PTT831 PTT833 PTT839 PTT840 dnum ave te) 268 384 216 126 233 192 192 139 dnum ave al 269 370 250 130 232 178 180 141 dnum ave 2 262 37/5 135 138 204 161 93 66 dnum ave 3 262 364 209 2a 207 225 it9'9 L377 dnum ave 4 286 484 D> 120 263 220 196 225 dnum count (0) 301 124 W/ 5 6 26 alas) nw, dnum count al 86 40 3 al 2 7) 29 4 dnum count 2 88 38 al a! Al 8 315) 4 dnum count 3 76 sal 3} 2 il! 5 29 5 dnum count 4 yal 15 (6) al 2 6 23 4 dnum maximum (0) 920 920 413 138 297 338 341 387 dnum maximum aL 885 885 413 130 245 324 289 225 dnum maximum 2 698 698 aks yy) 138 204 PAA 292 WY dnum maximum 3 811 811 234 123 207 235)3} 296 286 dnum maximum 4 920 920 --- 120 297 AGA 341 387 dnum minimum fe) 55 70 108 119 204 55 68 55 dnum minimum ak 68 79 108 130 218 68 95 82 dnum minimum 2 55 95 135 138 204 55 68 55 dnum minimum 3 61 70 182 119 207 166 98 61 dnum minimum 4 68 134 --- 120 228 168 80 68 dnum stdev (0) 159 181 91 7 Sal 67 54 96 dnum stdev ak 158 17/33 125 ) 13 82 46 59 dnum stdev 2 154 167 0 0 (@) 49 51 7 dnum stdev 3 55 188 Del! 2 (0) 66 57 81 dnum stdev 4 7S 187 -=—— 0 34 36 60 129 Table 10. Average number of dives summarized by statistic category and PTT. See notes on Table 9. Yak COMPARISON OF AVERAGE NUMBER OF DIVES PER SIX HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD ALL ANIMALS Y2 S500) - = ~ 450 4 - © 400 - 4 pe P4350 = 300 4 = Fp ¥£250:5 - Go09q ul ae fs [SO — se é ae 100 3 =| | se | =] T T ALL iio cow Sc’, (831 833. 839" 840 PTT NUMBER Figure 41. Comparison of average number of dives during a 6-hour summary period for all 1990 animals. A dive is defined as a submergence greater than 6 seconds. N = number of summary periods for which error-free data were collected. 2 FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: NUMBER OF DIVES PER SIX HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD ALL PITS se [ PERIODS 1-4 COMBINED | [ # PERIODS = 310 | lr total # dives =80,754 + X =268 sd =159 | = 1 | O Z. r “a = L es L eal A E25 | | . | I [ O L | | | i i j 4 a =. | I — = a | aus 2 Se © 2 Seo So 2 Sea oS 2 Se Orie ier TS) Ney Oe) Wen S) (ey Sp Nab CS. le eS eS oe 'S On tp eS OD CC CO) St HILO LO mCO) CO) noe) CO) | GO) OD | | | | | | | | | | | il Se 3S eS © 2 © © e- 2 © eo Se 2 oe WAS) 18 OO Sto Ou) So Dm © © Oe = SS A ay ea OO) SS OO) KO) cc 285 eae | f | 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=269 SD=158 N=86 | MMM 05:16—11:15 GMT (2) X=262 SD=154 N=88 | + f 11:16-—17:15 GMT (3) X=262 SD=155 N=76 20 i= A al Lo] Q —p) ie = 4 17:16—23:15 GMT (4) X=286 SD=173 N=51 r | 4B H | OSs & q q | Ze eS Nin Wy c3) Ny |i =) Ny |i ey | y j at 1) = H 4 jaw i aH, WW q a | fm f | >) is Neal | | | ie 9 | | 4 0 Alin NAL TE Ha oes Oo is Tedototove diel ele Tele 'o" a oO ) ey fas)? We Gite) —S- ve Sia Se & 4 MW C oS Ss) © fro, Se LIK) Wes tes ey te) We KS ie) IS Ne) (SS) Ke Oo Ww Coy Renita fae. Keak (apy eGullet im MeO leo} pS SS oO o 10 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=250 SD=125 N=3 g MMM 05:16-11-15 GMT (2) X=135 SD=0 N=1 8 11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X=209 SD=21 N=3 [__] 17:16-23:15 GMT (4) X=-- SD=-- N=O0_ | W | > | oS 6 = Z 3 | a) 2. | m4 | Z iz Sai 2 _ vil Hi lei =I 0 iw dolodletieriowewtotiovtetetiowie Were rele Ie (Se) ey oe Oe Ve Ker So) 1S) Le) OL ie oS Te) © mo WH Ve) SA eel OW GW G2) AGO sae a Sah Way Ne) © © 6X e C foo) 9 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | iS} a (Ss) (2) =e) -(S) -S) “Sy (So 5or ©) © Se - ©) eo) SS eS © Dm GOS Bi SO) SOS WS mW) oe oe & Sut CQO CD ocd) St SIO Le) oO) MS ico) cay @ NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 44. Frequency histogram of the number of dives during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #825. See note in Figure 42. v= FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: NUMBER OF DIVES PER SIX HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD Te 2i7 PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED # PERIODS = 5 630 4 ( total # dives 126 sd je el 006—0S8 O0S8—008 008-02 062-002 004-099 0s9-009 009-086 08-008 00¢-0¢r 0Sh—006 jepr-ose | oSe—008 00g—0¢2 | osz—-002 O00c—OST | OOT—0S Poet | IAS uw) Oo AONANOGYA ve) S aANG en Gane ooONO [Noodle (=VWferfeyte) NANN onn0 Aan N man et oi we ou Bd bd) Bal 5 ees Saas (=i) See el Oi Bis Vomteltelite) mn et oanra On aN ital elena ooo “Awe et OoGanr NO AONGNOA 0S6—006 006—0S8 0S8—008 008—0G2 0S2Z—004 004-0¢9 0S9—009 (009-066 |0S¢—00¢ |00¢—ocr OSP—OOP OOV—OGE OSE—O0E O00&—0G2e 0Sc—006 00c—OSGT OSI—OOT OOT—OG 0S—O NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 45. Frequency histogram of the number of dives during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #827. See note in Figure 42. 76 FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: NUMBER OF DIVES PER SIX HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD IPATAR teahil PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED # PERIODS = 6 1,399 total # dives 006-068 'O0S8—008 /008-0S2 062-0024 002-089 069-009 009-0S¢ 0SS—-008 00S-0SPr 0S—00% | ooF—0SE | OSE—-00€ 00e-0¢e Z 0Sz-002 ae | 00%—-OST | OST—001 | 0O1-0S 0S-0 l O ve) (eS) AONaNOAY ase SD 204 SD 207 SD 263 SD 23:16—05:15 GMT (1) X 05:16—11:15 GMT (2) X 11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X 17:16—23:15 GMT (4) X A ———s |0S6—006 006—0S8 OS8—008 ‘008—-0S2 /0G2-002 [002-09 0s9-009 009-066 0S¢—00 00S-0Sr |OSb—00h 00r-0Ge lose-00€ 00e-0S2 wos 092-002 |00z—-0ST OST—001 [001-0 | 0S-0 ae) DE a ee Op OO)" rs KOE WY Ss ISO) GN © AONGNOAA NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 46. Frequency histogram of the number of dives during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #831. See note in Figure 42. Wd FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: NUMBER OF DIVES PER SIX HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD PTT 833 PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED 26 total # dives =4,981 X # PERIODS 192 sd = 167 006—0S8 0S8—008 | 008—0S2 | 0G4-002 002-089 0S9-009 /009-06¢ -0SS—008 00¢-0¢¢ | oGb-00F 00r-0SE oSe-008 00e-0S2 0S2-002 002-0S1 OST—OOI OOT—OS 0S—O ve) oO — = AONANS A mown wo Ie Ue 8 4 6 3 178 SD =225 SD X=220 SD X= X xX Ea Et a Est 7:16—23:15 GM 23:16—-05:15 GM 05:16—-11:15 GM 11:16—17:15 GM 1 066-006 006-088 0S8—008 008-062 0GL-002 002-089 059-009 |009-0¢¢ '0S¢—006 (00¢-0¢r loSh—-00F 00b-O0SE oSe—00€ 00€-0S2 0S¢-002 a pee ——=== 0ST-001 =———=001 06 0S—O COLO AS: DGS! AONSNOaNA NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 47. Frequency histogram of the number of dives during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #833. See note in Figure 42. 78 1—4 COMBINED # PERIODS = 116 PERIODS SUMMARY PERIOD PTT 839 0S6—006 r Q) 02 A} ie 006—-0S8 Ho i i 006-068 Ose-008) eG ae 0S8-008 — +m WO = 008-062 a es 008—-0S2 cs NNNN p= 0G2-004 ON ae OGL—004 i a ; | 002-069 st |004-os9 | OS9—009 sant |0S9—009 009-066 BEss 009-06S ity OUUU re 00S—-0SF oie foos-oer TL eee O0St-O0F oF ee OSt—00F ir Owoanr Is O0O0F-0SE HS) a | 0OF-OSE J ose-00¢ A OSE—-00€ = OO0E—0Se nd aE: Ka 0) 0c —— ————— ¢) G G - 10) 06 AAR: ae —————e FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: NUMBER OF DIVES PER SIX HOUR mum °°" °° et OO OS tL 0S—-O OS—-O | | | | | Le Se i sth 1 fo) ©) key © lo) O (S) uw) (S) uw) (eS) N N - N a _ AONANOTNGA AONANOAY NUMBER OF DIVES us Figure 48. Frequency histogram of the number of dives during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #839. See note in Figure 42. FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: NUMBER OF DIVES PER SIX HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD PTT 840 PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED # PERIODS 17 total # dives =2,37 X =139 sd =96 006-098 0S8—008 008—-0S2 O0S2Z—0024 002—0G9 0S9—009 009—0GG 0SS—00S O00S—OSGYP OSP—OO0L OOF—OSE OSE—O0E O0&—0Se 0Sc—002 00c—OST OST—OOT AONANS ANA 23:16—05:15 GMT (1) X SS 141 SD =66 SD S S) MMM 05.16-11:15 GMT (2) Xx 137 215 WZ 11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X [_] 17:16-23:15 GMT (4) X | 056-006 006-098 0Se—008 |008—-0S2 |OGL—002 002-089 09-009 (009-066 |0Ss—-008 00S-06F 0St-00F —_ |00F—-0SE OSE-00E = o9¢-0¢z exz=e| 0OSZ— 008 oy 00¢—-0S1 Hep OST—OOT a oe | al | | 0S-0 a @) ©) (0 @) AONaNdaAY i> CO) Ol Sie ata) Gs — oO NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 49. Frequency histogram of the number of dives during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #840. See note in Figure 42. 80 NUMBER OF DIVES VS DATE 1000 ; : : 800 + PTT 825 600 + 4 400 - s| 200 = I | _| 1 SS UT UL a LU USM LL ALLS 1000 - I 800 600 400 200 PM e2Ze | pe eae i A LENSER PALL LTT SU) PSL VELL Ui UG ULER| (LISLE? SUEUR aa, I T T Pill io > 1000 800 600 400 200 IN (eters | ee 1000 | ] ] | I | ] 800 - BT ess 600 + 4 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 NUMBER OF DIVES 400 ZOO | I RU Gi LT a ea UU LL 1000 ] T | I ine ] 800 + PTT 840 - 600 400 200 7 ze a [che oc et mae Bas ae te: va) (oe) oe) (oa) ee) Qa for) N ro) >) va) < n eel OCT 28 N a i ea 1S) a) {o) SEP OcT DATE (1990) Figure 50. Chronological comparison of number of dives for PTTs #825, #827, #831, #833 and #840 tagged in 1990. Bars represent the number of dives during a 6-hour summary period. 81 NUMBER OF DIVES VS DATE N — * Ge —“CtiC‘CF SS IE IS al a @) ~ - Oe ea 4 oe am es p - aa) S al “| = o}s = — < = | Pz g 4 =I 4 } 8 28 ( ha ocT 18 4 E SE EF DATE (1990) Figure 51. Chronological comparison of number of dives for PTT #823 and #839 tagged in 1990. Bars represent the number of dives during a 6-hour summary period. Dive Duration In both 1989 and 1990, two types of dive durations were measured: discrete dives and averages during summary periods. Discrete dive information was collected on 1770 dives plus an additional 914 submergences counted between transmissions. Due to time constraints, we did not analyze discrete dives for the 1990 whales in detail. Discrete Data In 1989, PTT #843 reported 304 discrete dive durations with a range of 6 to 848 s (0.1 - 14.1 min.). After considering surfacings between transmissions, the overall average was 73.5s. The skewed distribution of discrete dive durations was typical of other species studied in detail to date (Gray whales: Harvey and Mate, 1984; Bowheads: Wursig, et al., 1984; and Humpbacks: Dolphin, 1987), where most dives were less than 30 seconds (Figure 52). Because discrete dives proved to be a subsample reflecting the summary data (see below), we concentrated our 1990 analyses on zero duration dives (see "Surface resting"). In 1990, the three longest maximum duration dives from the 1990 discrete information were 40.07, 28.23 and 17.47 minutes. All were for PTT #839. We believe the 17.47 min. (1049 s) dive is feasible but are skeptical of the two longer dives. It may have been possible for the whale to breathe in a spy-hop position without the PTT surfacing to result in such long dives. It is also possible that these were transmission errors, in which case they would not have adversely affected the average dive duration calculated for the summary period. Summary Data 1989 The mean dive duration of PTT #843 for 4-hour periods was 74 s + 18, lower than for all 1990 whales except PTT #823 (the male). Figure 53 shows the frequency distribution of average dive durations for all 4-hour summary periods in 1989. 199 fo) Average dive durations for the 6-hour summary periods are shown in Tables 11 and 12 and are presented graphically in Figure 54. The overall average dive duration for all animals in all periods was 86 s + 48 with less than a 10% difference between periods when the data for all animals were pooled. There was considerable variation between animals (with a range of 54 s - 162 s) and between periods for individual animals. There was only a 10% difference between period averages for "Wart" (PTT #839) with a range of 95 s - 105 s compared to 90% for another female, "Stripe" (PTT #840) with a range Of 11S est 2123s) Of the seven animals analyzed, four showed their longest average dive duration between 83 DISCRETE DIVE DURATION HISTOGRAM Piieets-— LICg FREQUENCY | =i] IT % gsi # a —_ rE —— | 190 240 36 =) 6C ) VPAe RA 480 DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) Figure 52. Frequency distribution of discrete dive durations (X = 73.5 + 18 s) for PTT #843 (1989). Intertransmission dives (ITDs) are, by definition, less than 40 seconds and were included in the analysis (see Appendix B). 84 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION HISTOGRAM Paes 3 sie o FREQUENCY 40 60 80 100 120 14 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SEC)/4 HR PERIOD Figure 53. Frequency histogram of average dive duration during 4-hour summaries for PTT #843 tagged in 1989. 85 PERIOD PTTALL PTT823 PTT825 PTT827 PTT831 PTT833 PTT839 PTT840 avdur ave 0 86 54 100 150 83 109 100 162 avdur count 0 299 124 4 5 7 PAT) 114 TS avdur maximum @) 342 244 160 166 102 342 198 274 avdur minimum 0 14 14 48 128 40 60 56 42 avdur stdev 0 48 36 35 3 20 59 Zin 69 avdur ave al 82 55 97 142 US 114 105 eS avdur count af 87 39 3 1 3 7 30 4 avdur maximum al 268 232 160 142 94 268 188 154 avdur minimum 1 14 14 48 142 40 60 70 66 avdur stdev 1 44 35 46 0 24 64 26 B15 avdur ave 2 89 54 128 128 102 33 102 212 avdur count 2 88 39 1 1 ak 9 33 4 avdur maximum 2 342 168 128 128 102 342 198 274 avdur minimum 2 ag 16 128 128 102 84 60 nS 2 avdur stdev 2 54 Bel ) 0) 0 76 29 45 avdur ave 3 88 62 93 160 100 89 98 182 avdur count 3 74 shal 3 2 al 5 28 4 avdur maximum 3 264 244 104 166 100 110 178 264 avdur minimum 3 16 16 88 154 100 60 58 102 avdur stdev 3 48 45 wv) 6 ie} 19 AF / 58 avdur ave 4 81 43 -0- 160 7d. 82 95 134 avdur count 4 50 SS fe) aL 2 6 25 3 avdur maximum 4 246 118 —Q-= 160 86 100 156 246 avdur minimum 4 16 16 -0- 160 68 70 56 42 avdur stdev 4 41 23 -0- (0) 9 iba 24 84 Table 11. Average dive duration summarized by period for whales tagged in 1990. [Ave = average dive duration for the designated period; count = # of summary periods from which Statistics were computed; maximum/minimum = maximum/minimum average duration of dives calculated during the summary period designated; stdev = standard deviation of the average; period 0 = all periods combined; PTTALL = all PTTs combined.] 86 Data from summary table for RW90 _ Errors removed PERTOD PLTALL PITS23) LTTs25) PITe27 PLTS3 | PrTsss) PTTs39) PLT340 avdur ave ) 86 54 100 150 83 109 100 162 avdur ave aE 82 53 97 142 UE 114 105 iS} avdur ave 2 89 54 128 128 102 183) 102 212 avdur ave 3 88 62 93 160 100 89 98 132 avdur ave 4 81 43 -0- 160 Ua 82 95 134 avdur count (6) 299 124 a 5 7 27 114 15 avdur count at 87 39 3 1 3 7 30 4 avdur count 2 88 39 1 1 at 9 33 4 avdur count 3 74 31 3 2 I! 5 28 4 avdur count 4 50 15 (0) at 2 6 23 3 avdur maximum (e) 342 244 160 166 102 342 198 274 avdur maximum ak 268 PREY 160 142 94 268 188 154 avdur maximum 2 342 168 128 128 102 342 198 274 avdur maximum 3 264 244 104 166 100 110 178 264 avdur maximum 4 246 118 -0- 160 86 100 156 246 avdur minimum ¢) 14 14 48 128 40 60 56 42 avdur minimum a 14 14 48 142 40 60 70 66 avdur minimum 2 16 16 128 128 102 84 60 52 avdur minimum 3 16 16 88 154 100 60 58 102 avdur minimum 4 16 16 -0- 160 68 70 56 42 avdur stdev (0) 48 36 33 13 20 59 27 69 avdur stdev 1 44 35 46 0 24 64 26 35 avdur stdev 2 54 zhal (e) fe) (0) 76 29 45 avdur stdev 3 48 45 7 6 0 19 27 58 avdur stdev 4 41 23 -0- 0 9 aL 24 84 Table 12. Average dive duration summarized by statistic category and PTT. See note on Table 11. 87 COMPARISON OF AVG. DIVE DURATION PER 6 HOUR PERIOD ALL ANIMALS _ 200 = = = , : : | vk N= (800) (124) “()o- (S)c. (7) 26 (2%). (414) Gs) Zz | ) N= # OF PERIODS | ©) 240 - ERROR BARS = 1 SD. ~i| Ea Op) IL © 180 - | E4 35 A Bain ll &) = ea Ne = NA = aE NA S29 || NA ~ Na = 90 4 NIEIZ ky, he t oY NE? ae | Not Nan _| NHYA 7 AY | | NB | Ne i= Z|) me Zul WW a5 Ne4| NE Y\ | AY q C af | NHAT| Hao = p 0-60 61-120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301-360 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SEC) Figure 56. Frequency histogram of average dive duration (seconds) during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #823. See note in Figure 55. Syl AVERAGE DIVE DURATION HISTOGRAMS ie PTT 825 50 ; Hise PERIODS 1-4 COMBINED # PERIODS = 7 Aig X=100 SD=33 | FREQUENCY Cyn S) l L 0-60 61-120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301-360 RQ) 23:16-05:15 GMT ( Any E=05:16-11:15 GMT ( W7A11:16-17:15 GMT ( 40 + [_]17:16-23:15 GMT ( PS PS DS Or O 0 @ et sal FREQUENCY O inl ——- TRY iNeel z 0-60 61-120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301-360 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SEC) Figure 57. Frequency histogram of average dive duration (seconds) during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #825. See note in Figure 55. 92 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION HISTOGRAMS ale 27 100 90 4 PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED # PERIODS = 5 80 + X=150 SD= 13 | eA z 707 7 aa =r 60) = ll Cc me 50 - - a NG z) 30 - “| 20 = = 10 4 - : 0-60 61-120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301-360 510) KW 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=142 SD=0 N=1 A5 4 F405:16-11:15 GMT (2) X=128 SD=0 N=1 M7A11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X=160 SD=6 N=2 40 4 17:16—23:15 GMT (4) X=160 SD=0 N=1 Ss O99 = os 2 60.5 = er 2S = = a 20 pS la = Oy = ae 0 A O-—60) U61—I20 T2l—1S80y lel 240 241 — 300) 301-360 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SEC) Figure 58. Frequency histogram of average dive duration (seconds) during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #827. See note in Figure 55. 93 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION HISTOGRAMS Eel Bart 100 90 4 PERIODS 1-4 COMBINED _ # PERIODS = 7 | 80 - X=83 SD=20 4| i. | = HO) = = = >) S0l = =| oS = 50h = cy 40 7 - 30 4 =| | 20 = , 4 rome u O et 0-60 - 61-120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301-360 50 Qj 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=75 SD=24 N=3 VEY es F-405:16-11:15 GMT (2) X=102 SD=0 N=1 YZ11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X=100 SD=0 N=1 40 4 [__]17:16-23:15 GMT (4) X=77 SD=9 N=2 Ss OS ‘Ss = 304 > _ g ZS S| (ee, DR) ey 20e= | 15 - (HO) | 5 =) 0 S Sool O=60; GEI—1Z20 iei—-—180 18i—240 241—300 301—360 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SEC) Figure 59. Frequency histogram of average dive duration (seconds) during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #831. See note in Figure 55. 94 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION HISTOGRAMS Plt (833 100 ) ae PERIODS 1-4 COMBINED _| | # PERIODS = 27 305 K=109"SD—59 | e 6) iat =i Zz = 60 = =| S ~ 50 - _ —x, CAO) + 30 4 — D(a) I _ — 0-60 61-120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301-360 50 KW) 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=114 SD=64 N=7 45 5 F05:16-11:15 GMT (2) X=113 SD=76 N=9 | Q7A11:16—-17:15 GMT (3) X=89 SD=19 N=5 40"=| [ES07:16=23:15 (GMT (4) X=82"SD=11 N=6 > $5 4 aay =e | S 25 4 | Sg 5 40 oy La | 1 verent (ime! 5 “| aA O RY FA \ | El iss ol 0-60 61-120 121—180 181—240 241—300 301-360 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SEC) Figure 60. Frequency histogram of average dive duration (seconds) during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #833. See note in Figure 55. 95 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION HISTOGRAMS - PTT 839 | PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED # PERIODS = 114 : X= NOORSD S277 = : a ea +] A 0-60 - 61-120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301-360 wa C183 | KW 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=105 SD=25 N=30 45 4 F=)05:16-11:15 GMT (2) X=102 SD=29 N=33 VZ7A11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X=98 SD=27 N=28 Ou 17:16—23:15 GMT (4) X=95 SD=24 N=23 > ra = 5) f Ht it ZZZZZI| TOT Tn NAAAAANANAAAAANNY} | an An gee OI AL 4 4 | NOW — 1 | NEY NI=e YZZZ =) Z4| = i iB b O=60) Tien 120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301—360 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SEC) Figure 61. Frequency histogram of average dive duration (seconds) during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #839. See note in Figure 55. 96 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION HISTOGRAMS PTT 840 je) S) 90 = PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED _| # PERIODS = 15 = X= 162 SD= 69 a e= FREQUENCY (o>) (S) | | 0-60 61-120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301-360 KW 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=113 SD=35 45 4 F05:16-11:15 GMT (2) X=212 SD=45 (7 11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X=182 SD=58 40 4 [__]17:16-23:15 GMT (4) X=134 SD=84 pop Cs HL Uh th al Pay Pa PL re co WG (C CA (S) | NO On | FREQUENCY — N on ©& | Ss | On aI al N FAT Non Hea Fa FAT) J 0-60 61-120 121-180 181-240 241-300 301-360 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SEC) oO Figure 62. Frequency histogram of average dive duration (seconds) during all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #840. See note in Figure 55. VY AVERAGE DIVE DURATION VS DATE OD SS —— 300 4 PUT 625. = 240 - + 180 4 | a | 60 - ls = - O — 7 | Tol Saat 0 i i ST DO TTS 360 l T ian SOO a. a PTT 827 | s JO) Ly oe 180) SI 4 = igo. Ea fa@) = a Y — Qos LEA [AL BL) QPL. LO. (Ln) RR Ta? ES] PG Fl Fl Zz Sta) T - Ge so0L- Pri: eosin = 2ACn 4 = 180+ L = VEiO OME 5) A 60h l 2) & 0) SUSU [aa SU [LL LL LR SLD 1] = pemtae I = | ahole A 300 Pink wses) a4 fl 240 | o 180 J ae 1201 4 = Wace = ss ) (op) PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED Figure 71. Frequency histogram of mean percent time submerged for all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #827. See note in Figure 68. 109 FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED PER FOUR HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD 3 , PTT 831 SO ge faa —— ——— oo ms) he PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED | 2D, # PERIODS = 6 | X=86 SD=18 ZO = | FREQUENCY | 10 F- - 5 & e] = a ». eA aT l Se 3 (o) w ‘S) wo ‘S) ve) io) ive) oO wo io) ve) i>) 1 oO a a a 8 1 Se en wr ON On ae deat WOU ko bes om Je igo Ba tp ga oO 2 y iap) st ~~ uw ve) ie) io) é- - ee) (oe) (op) oO WO 7 eal T T T T T i T T auc 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=70 SD=24 N=2 Ej} 05:16-11:15 GMT (2) X=96 SD=0 N=1 Sie ZZ 11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X=95 SD=O N=1 J ate 17:16—23:15 GMT (4) X=92 SD=1 N=2 g) _| o a 6 “| 5 SO ie Te 2 Sas EB 4+ — aie | 1 = 0 SSS S Sia Sey te ce te io so ie So fo © rT ae See tee oe | xe) al No) al xe) cael | YY | = | 15 | a) | SN > | ie] a | ic 10 g = 0 l = = = l a ie) ve) S ve) oO wo io) io) ve) jo) ive) S i Pecans, Se. Co Oe ia © tay —~O. HE So Bee ee Be xe ae | a ee) + a Ye) Vey Ne) io) = é oO co op) D 10 T T T al ele li l cme [XG 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=76 SD=15 N=7 | ES} 05:16-11:15 GMT (2) X=81 SD=9 N=8 oT ZZ 11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X=86 SD=4 N=5 4 [__] 17:16-23:15 GMT (4) X=82 SD=4 N=6 | » TP as 1 oO | 2 6L =| a” | ey is |e 2) Boal H SOS) 96—100 36—40 61—65 @ CNS) 41—465 76-80 B= 85 86-90 PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED Figure 73. Frequency histogram of mean percent time submerged for all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #833. See note in Figure 68. nha uae FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED PER FOUR HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD PTT 839 PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED FREQUENCY 95 | # PERIODS = 113 4 X=83 SD=11 ) Q > @) w © ve) Oo Ww =) ve) eS) O P oO ve) ES st > Te) w Co) CO 6K é (oo) eo) ron) ron) = Ne) = co — ) J 7" aT ] lf J — B&S§ 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=82 SD=12 N=29 : = 05nle= ibs GMT (2)ixX=85 SD=11 N=33 ; QZ 11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X=84 SD=9 N=28 : L 17:16—-23:15 GMT (4) X=81 SD=11 N=23 = es A Zs H [ [] | 9 QO vA aga Nell dan | N No AY Ne || at Ny | 1} NEA EH Naa) BY! Ned Bil | Q N} 1A f N es NN H | | S Ve) © Ye) 2) Ww (‘S) > + a WwW wo ve) Co) KT wT cei AOl Bl WO == GC (ae Ps a << ~ = 2 — 2 oD | \ Ww CO CO = PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED Figure 74. Frequency histogram of mean percent time submerged for all 6-hour periods for PTT #839. See note in Figure 68. iL 1 FREQUENCY HISTOGRAM: PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED PER FOUR HOUR SUMMARY PERIOD “ PTT 840 50 iz T l T T | PERIODS 1—4 COMBINED 25 - # PERIODS = 15 | | X=67 SD=7 > FN se) Z. ah Srey t— a gS ie = | 10 - - | 5b 4 0 oe) | io) wo (o) WwW oO wo io) w ie) ie) oO Ww o lét shlcoasl, Cin eee «ie tah Ro) a No) a oO = oO a Se) son ise) = © ia) st + ve) WwW io) ive} é~ ~ (ee) (eo) (op) (o>) 10 a ae | ot oF | | qe 23:16-05:15 GMT (1) X=63 SD=7 N=4 | E = 05:16-11:15 GMT (2) X=62 SD=6 N=4 Spi 11:16-17:15 GMT (3) X=74 SD=1 N=4 J “ [__] 17:16-23:15 GMT (4) X=70 SD=7 N=3 FREQUENCY Oo O 7 i: o (Xe) I | ns Sy VWAGS AA i Tomo O@ 1S OMG oS SI st ley Wo Oe eee TS! PCO, CO 8 CO | | | | ] ] | | | ] | | | Ono PIO) i amp aS gui OPO, Yee sO Got PE EMO” = Rm ToT CO” SSG AG) e «oD PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED Figure 75. Frequency histogram of mean percent time submerged for all 6-hour summary periods for PTT #840. See note in Figure 68. 3 The frequency histogram for PTT #840 (Figure 75) demonstrates a compact range for the percentage of time spent submerged and may suggest a limited repertoire of behaviors. The frequency histograms for PTT #823 and PTT #839 (with their large sample sizes) indicate animals with much wider ranges of values but substantially different distributions. PTT #823 spent from 56% to 95% of summary periods submerged, while PTT #839 spent 81% or more of its time submerged during most periods (45% of the periods in the 86% to 95% range). A common time base was used in Figures 76 and 77 to determine whether fluctuations in submergence time varied synchronously, perhaps in association with weather. This did not appear to be the case for the three animals with significant overlap (PTT #833, PTT #839 and PTT #823). Surface Resting Behavior In 1990, of 988 error-free transmissions, 361 (37%) reported a discrete dive duration of "zero." This meant that the transmitter did not go underwater for more than six seconds between transmissions (from 42 s - 54 s) and, thus, constituted what we term "surface resting." Table 15 summarizes, by period, the number of zero duration dives (ZDD) as a percentage of total error-free dives for each tagged whale. Zero duration dives accounted for 0 - 69% of all dive messages for individual whales although the time spent at the surface (from %TSUB calculations) varied from 13 - 33%. There was no trend between duration of operation and percentage of zero duration dives. If there were, it might be interpreted as an affect of tagging. We do not know if prolonged surface time is resting, recovering from oxygen debt or swimming at the surface. However, we believe whales could only swim at very slow speeds without submerging the transmitter, so we assume this activity is primarily surface resting. The abundance of zero duration dives for animals with large sample sizes suggest that they are a normal function of whale activity and a greater proportion of their activity than previously suspected. While surface resting has been seen by many observers, there have been no studies published on this behavior in free-ranging whales which cover multiple 24- hour periods. This is the first study of large whales to document the frequency of surface resting. It isnot known to what extent boat proximity may disturb or preclude this behavior. Conversely, if right whales are not disturbed easily, it may explain why they are struck by vessels so often. "Stripe" (PTT #840) had the highest overall average percentage of ZDDs (69%), spent the most time (33%) at the surface (TSUB = 67) and also had the fastest swimming speed. PTT #839, the longest-ranging female with calf, showed 31% of her "dive" messages as surface resting activity (ZDDs) but averaged only 17% of her time at the surface. The long-range movements of the adult male (PTT #823) showed 25% of its messages in this 114 PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED VS DATE if Pisa Zo Pit 82¢ = 80 | | 60 — z Bae r| | se 49 | 4 arog | = 9 ea) Nh PISS 1 =) = afl Py 13)0) |= =| Saeed = 4U — = | Zi ByG\ =| i = T LL a Tielonloctint 1 a a CL Le | La LLL LL es | I T 3C PTT 833 | ; | PERCENT LO | 20 ee) ae | OU 4 O T Tana aT [ot === SEPP oO 2 (aly ou ex o & =) Ss ea ie Oo S) L = 7 n n 5 ro) 2) a oO co} co) & = i) 2 = nN DATE (1990) Figure 76. Chronological comparison of percent time submerged for PTTs #825, #827, #831, #833 and #840 tagged in 1990. Bars represent percent time submerged during a 6- hour summary period. 1S PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED VS DATE BOE PLE 823 TIME SUBMERGED (% NT PEGE 29 AUG 08 SEP = 18" SER 8 SEP > a DATE (1990) Figure 77. Chronological comparison of percent time submerged for PTTs #823 and #839 tagged in 1990. Bars represent percent time submerged during a 6-hour summary period. IIL ‘() = SUONBINP JAIP JJAIOSIP JIDYM SUOISSILISUBI} JdIJ-101I9 JO UONNIISIP pOllag “GT IQGeBL 0 = UO!}eINP BAIP asayM SUOISSiwsUue1} 98s} 10119 JO JUaDIAg “Z suOISSiuwsuels} 901} JOJ10 JO JaquNU |eIOL ‘1 2c8 iid Sc8 lid 0 = NOILWUNG GAAIG AYAHM SNOISSIWSNWUL AINA YOUNA AO NOTLNALIYLSiId NT, category but spent 28% of his time at the surface. A juvenile male, which did not move a long distance had 45% of its discrete dives as ZDDs but spent only 19% of its time at the surface. These contrasts show that long-range movements and speed do not by themselves dictate surface resting patterns and that percentage ZDD isan important but not exclusive indicator of total time spent at the surface. Also, the frequency of surface resting during Periods 2 and 3 probably contributed to the high number of messages received during those periods. Often zero duration dive (ZDD) messages occurred one after another, confirming long periods of surface resting. The longest series of zero duration dive messages accounted for a total of 11 min. spent continuously at the surface by PTT #833. With just a few dives of less than 20 s, prolonged surface resting was apparent for up to 12 min. for PTT #823, 10 min. for PTT #839 and 7 min. for PTT #840. Often consecutive monitored passes up to six hours apart showed long periods of surface resting. Figure 78 demonstrates the relationship between the percentage of time spent submerged and the number of zero duration dives. As suspected, large numbers of zero duration dives were recorded most frequently during summary periods which reported a higher percentage of surface time (low percent of time spent submerged). The strong similarity in the equations fitted to data for PTT #823 and PTT #839 suggest that this relationship is reasonably stereotyped, especially considering the differences in the number of dives and average dive durations for these two animals. The Relationship of Speed and Respiration Patterns Figures 79 - 82 show the chronological relationship of average dive duration, speed and the number of dives in a 6-hour summary period for the four whales with the largest sample sizes. It isimportant to re-emphasize that speeds used here are minimum estimates based on calculated distances between Argos acquired locations. Thus, our calculated high speeds may be the real result of extremely directed (linear) swimming activity or errors in Argos locations. Figure 83 shows the relationship between average dive duration, number of dives and speed for all 6-hour summary periods and for all whales. An upper limit to this curve is described by the function: 1990 average duration of dive = # seconds in period/# dives AVG DUR = (21,600)/(#DIVES) 118 T T T PIrl 823 y=16.95>0.04Xx | (QV@) 40.4 O | PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED PTT 839 | | y=87.32-3.67x | > | | | | PERCENT TIME SUBMERGED O =I @) 2 4 6 8 10 Wye NUMBER OF ZERO DURATION DIVES Figure 78. Number of zero-duration dives per 6-hour period versus percent time submerged (PTTs 823 and 839). iu) 9) COND: (te DURATION 29 AUG 08 SEP 18SEP 28SEP O8OCT 180CT 28 OCT 29 AUG O8SEP 18SEP 28SEP O8OCT 180C 28 OCT n © | =| > 7, 29 AUG 08 SEP 18 SEP 28 SEP 08 OCT 18 OCT 28 OCT Figure 79. The chronological relationship of average dive duration, speed and number of dives for PTT #823. 120 PAN As (Siohes! Fine OMe a aa | ie Pn kre Zz | SS On! - 4| 2200! = SG al i a ae | a =) | aS 50 | ey = ae || < pee T | T y | u 29 AUG 08 SEP 18 SEP 28 SEP 08 OCT 18 OCT COnOGh 20 T T i 5 4 | S | =) ed = eae ® || tal | | a en Spoor - ro) = | oa) 400 = — Zz 200 29 AUG 08> SEP 18 SEP 28 SEP 08 OCT 18 OCT 28) OCT Figure 82. The chronological relationship of average dive duration, speed and number of dives for PTT #840. 2'3 NUMBER OF DIVES 20 (= o SS = ww = a ica fx A, Y Figure 83. The relationship of: A) speed to average dive duration; B) number ALL Eris | T o 60-5 KM/HR | |v Oo-10 KM/HR ia) e > 10 KM/HR Vv Vv oO o Bi Oo | =H (Se 200 250 300 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) T =i T | | o Oo SST, oO T T T T -— fe) 50 100 10 200 250 300 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) l e e Tite, ae a =| Ga eS i Y 4 a aoe ar a mh & w a) qg a QO oO El G) Oo I ote Ss l SSeaoT T O 400 600 800 1000 NUMBER OF DIVES of dives versus average dive duration; and, C) speed versus number of dives for all PTTs. ‘ 124 This represents the maximum average dive duration if the entire 6-hour period were divided by varying numbers of dives. In this figure, the vertical divergence of points from the theoretical upper limit describes the amount of time the animal spends at the surface. Higher travel speeds tend to be close to the upper limit of the curve, implying minimum surface time, and are also clustered in the central portion of the curve suggesting an optimal aerobic strategy. However, there apparently isnot a single optimal dive (respiration) pattern for right whales. The difference in respiratory strategies is apparent by comparing Figure 84b (adult male, PTT #823: larger numbers of short duration dives) and Figure 85b (female with calf, PTT #839: smaller numbers of longer duration dives). From these figures, speed does not appear to be directly related to either average dive duration or numbers of dives, and average duration does not appear to be a direct inverse proportion to number of dives. The high speed data, although close to one another, do not overlap. Figures 86 and 87 depict similar relationships for juvenile PTT #833 and adult female PTT #840. Both more closely resemble PTT #839. It is impossible to say, at the present time, whether these differences are due to age, sex, reproductive status or individual variability. Oceanographic Factors Temperature Profiling 1989 The temperature sensor in 1989 was located outside the transmitter. The transmitter recorded the temperature of the water at the maximum depth of dive. Thus, we used data from dives to varying depths and from several days to compile composite temperature/depth profiles for PTT #843 east and northeast of Jeffrey’s Ledge (Figure 88). Both profiles are similar and do not show sufficient detail to discern a sharp thermocline. 199 lo) Right whale tags in 1990 were equipped with a temperature sensor inside the tags. When whales returned from longer dives, the reported transmitter temperature was often lower than the surface water, suggesting deep dives into temperature-stratified waters. Without temperature profiles for these areas, we are presently unable to interpret the specific dive depths accomplished. In the future we hope to obtain temperature profile information from oceanographers maintaining offshore buoys in the areas. 125 NUMBER OF DIVES SPEED(KM/HR) PTT 823 if T 0-5 KM/HR 5-10 KM/HR| _ > 10 KM/HR Vv 9 / — ® % fae T T T = —"gls i a T > | le 100 150 200 250 500 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) ] | ] ] ] 7 al 4 e aa aie a + i V = a = | Of Ya aa ) 50 100 150 200 250 500 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) T T T e e — V = ~ Vv iw Vv 4 Vv Vv W “ian Silt y iieewiire ae Mi i = qh Sa ae oP G. oo oO ee a) ae wi) y Oo oO @ oO : Qn o ie O oO QO T a 1 T 18 =| 0 200 400 600 800 1000 NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 84. A) the relationship of speed to average dive duration; B) number of dives versus average dive duration; and C) speed versus number of dives for PTT #823. 126 (©) NUMBER OF DIVES aS iS) oO 0 20 mem 15 eo = S =) 16 a fe [asi a1) 3 Yn 7 =e l nt ae oT Ga 0-5 KM/HR vy 5-10 KM/HR| _ e ~ e > 10 KM/HR e.° e e -PTT 639 I 50 100 150 200 250 500 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) | T T T T T 1 os 50 100 150 200 250 500 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) | ] = T 7 T 400 600 800 1000 NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 85. A) The relationship of speed to average dive duration; B) number of dives versus average dive duration; and C) speed versus number of dives for PTT #839. LAT) fe, oy = “10 QA ea ea A, op) NUMBER OF DIVES iN (5) Ss SPEED(KM /HR) | eee PIT é33 oO 0-5 KM/HR vy 5-10 KM/HR > 10 KM/HR ie Geo. oA T y | T = 50 100 150) 200 250 300 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) T a T T | a | | Oo a a} a By = c =! 7 oO T a nh | aa a — |. O 5)0) 100 150 200 250 500 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) ea ies Lie oe ie Say | a a T T =! ay 4 oo ie el a a ae T T T a [ =a Ge T T T O 200 400 600 800 1000 NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 86. A) The relationship of speed to average dive duration; B) number of dives versus average dive duration; and C) speed versus number of dives for PTT #833. 128 - PTT 840 20 T | til a 0-5 KM/HR = 15 4 5-10 KM/HR| | ee e210) KM HR . T = “Ge a] ae ae ChE | ae Sea Enon | 50 100 1S.© 200 250 300 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) 1000 | | | | | NUMBER OF DIVES aS oO (>) | | td 1 Gq) a oO a 0 r= i Te a O 50 100 150 200 250 500 20 AVERAGE DIVE DURATION (SECONDS) = T | fe 4 | = 1) aS ) S ea 110) - Q eal ee hate ”) S oe al ey O a f aN T T T T T O 200 400 600 800 1000 NUMBER OF DIVES Figure 87. A) The relationship of speed to average dive duration; B) number of dives versus average dive duration; and C) speed versus number of dives for PTT #840. LA) Temperature vs Depth Jeffrey's Ledge Depth (meters) on BO. canis east Ro pee ae ans f= y 1007 * 150+ i / 200 @ | | Temperature (celcius) Figure 88. Water temperature (C°) versus depth of dive (meters) for PTT #843 in the western Gulf of Maine (Oct/Nov. 1989). (LS6I ‘URT[a TIA Jaye) siayem adojs pure jjays ay} ul uONeNoD [e1auas ay) Surmoys mnuUeNY IsaMyWON ay} Jo dew y “6g snd oo Ow oh .09 “59 ou hi a SS ——s | ee Ee Ca ee Cee Se — } s€} —— - Sp -—-—— So + = Se FS || 5 € | 4 | 7 um 40 163M wu Divm \ wisyo? 4330 OW s = q - \ edema av Jul i353" Sullivan AEwE Bes nvdwie 4999 ONY Iwisvo>d ft OL LYHA NHL wdivm a Lp r \ DAaNWiav wid JwOR wave Wisvo? 40 EIA) < '’ 3uah whivm Jvo1s Nolwimuos 40 VIUY §39¥039 40 HiNnos SY, ‘ jiZ rows §B2LVe 0102 Ww3uis 31ND ° OF Lo i; YNVvEe & $39y039 | | oP = | . 20S spe 8 - Ne 204 aa IKS}sE Study Area Characteristics Figure 89 shows the Labrador and Nova Scotia currents as well as the Gulf Stream in relation to the Gulf of Maine (GOM). GOM water circulates in a counter-clockwise fashion and explains why temperature profiles east and northeast of Jeffrey's Ledge are so comparable. GOM water exits southerly around Cape Cod via the Great South Channel and to the south after going clockwise around George’s Bank. Water leaving the GOM continues southwesterly on the New England Shelf as a weak nearshore shelf current. Slightly further offshore, slope waters parallel the southerly shelf water movements. Even farther offshore, the Gulf Stream flows north, then east paralleling the continental slope contours (Butman and Beardsley, 1987). In the western Gulf of Maine there is a small clockwise eddy northeast of Jeffrey’s Ledge (Bigelow, 1927). Sea Surface Temperature The documented movements and dive characteristics of three whales (PTT #843, PTT #823 and PTT #839) during this project appear to be correlated with certain oceanographic factors/processes. We obtained sea surface temperature images of the study area from the NOAA Marine Climatology Investigation at the University of Rhode Island Remote Sensing Laboratory. Movements of the whales with longer tracks (PTT #823 and PTT #839) were plotted over the temporal oceanographic features. Selected images are provided here but, regrettably, do not reproduce well in black and white. Readers working from an NTIS copy may wish to consult one of the color masters on file with MMS in the Alaska or the Atlantic Regional Office or MMS headquarters in Washington, D.C. The temperature scale reads as follows: White = Cloud cover Red = 2225°C Blue = 710°C Green = 11 18°C Yellow = 19' = 24°C Orange = 25+°C Figure 90 shows the movement of a female (PTT #839) with a calf along the convergence of a warmer (offshore) and cooler (nearshore) body of water. By 16 September this whale had moved around Cape Cod and was crisscrossing a region of cold water east of Long Island Sound. This zigzag pattern may be an attempt to stay in a nutrient dense patch of food. 13 \2 Figure 90. NOAA satellite-monitored sea surface temperatures. This color image is a composite of data collected by the URI/NOAA Remote Sensing Lab on 9 September 1990 and shows the track of PTT #839 along a convergence zone. 333 Figure 91 is a composite of 21 - 22 September and shows PTT #823 moving along the eastern edge of a warm core ring-where cooler, nutrient-rich shelf water was being entrained around the ring. This feature, associated with warm core rings, is visible at the surface as a narrowing funnel of colder water and isa potential mechanism for concentrating prey. The occurrence of rings in this area is reasonably common (Wiebe, 1982) but it is not known if this whale knew of this phenomenon through previous experience or just happened upon it. PTT #823 continued south to the north wall of the Gulf Stream where prey are often concentrated. The whale then moved north. By 16 October (Figure 92), PTT #823 moved to an upwelling area off the southern tip of Nova Scotia (immediately north of Brown’s Bank). The whale spent 10 days here. The overlap of tracks for PTT #843, PTT #840 and PTT #823 through the basins and banks south and east of Nova Scotia (Brown’s, Baccaro and Emerald) suggest that these are extremely important areas. We observed numerous SAGs during our visit to these areas. The presence of a pregnant female (PTT #840) in these areas suggests the region is used for more than reproductive activity (SAGs). These areas are also along the 200 m contour where previous studies (CeTAP, 1982; Mate, et al.,in prep.) have observed right whales feeding. Studies off Nova Scotia by C. Miller (pers. comm.) show that the concentrations of copepods in this region move from the banks into the deeper basin waters from September through February. This feature of copepod concentration may constitute an important resource for right whales in the fall and winter. CONCLUSIONS Satellite telemetry is a highly effective method of tracking right whales even for relatively short periods of time. These studies resulted in the complete re-evaluation of previous hypotheses regarding range, residency time, speeds of travel, dive depths, and surface resting. Movements and Distribution Right whales were previously reputed to be slow moving, nearshore animals. Based on our data, we have determined that right whales can travel long distances (3,833 km) over short periods of time (43 days) and can travel up to 500 km from shore into deep (4000+km) water. The fast movement of two males between all known (BOF and Scotian Shelf) breeding areas suggests the Northwest Atlantic population may be a single stock. The movements of a pregnant female through the same areas also suggests these areas may also be important to feeding. The long distance coastal movement of a female and calf surprised us. It is not known whether the female traveled to look for food, train the calf in how and where to find food, or both. 134 te | f Ctl a) oy: , Figure 91. NOAA satellite-monitored sea surface temperatures. This color image is a composite of data collected by the URI/NOAA Remote Sensing Lab on 21 - 22 September 1990 and shows the track of PTT #823 along the eastern edge of a warm core ring north of the Gulf Stream. 135 wet + “6 OCT: eS a | eee Figure 92. NOAA satellite-monitored sea surface temperatures. This color image is a composite of data collected by the URI/NOAA Remote Sensing Lab on 16 October 1990 and shows the track of PTT #823 in an area of upwelling south of Nova Scotia. 136 The return of several animals back into the BOF after extensive travel revises former assumptions regarding residency time. Previously, the time between repeat BOF sightings within the same season was considered an estimate of minimum residency time. Now it is obvious that animals can travel widely between such sightings. Feeding Because some animals stay in the BOF and others return after extensive travel, the BOF appears to be an important area. We believe part of the importance of the BOF is feeding because: 1) we observed very little breeding activity there; and, 2) we tagged juveniles, females with calves and a pregnant female, none of which would normally have been involved in mating activity. During our studies, we observed evidence of whales going to the bottom. Some surfaced with mud on their heads in water 200 m deep suggesting bottom feeding. Data from one whale instrumented for dive depths demonstrated dives to or near the bottom routinely. Because copepods are weak diel migrators, prey depth and concentrations are not predictable. Therefore, right whales may routinely examine several hundred meters of the water column to locate their food which may often include the bottom. Their long dive capability also allows them to forage at these reasonable depths. The concentration of whales we observed in the BOF suggests that large tidal changes and associated currents might concentrate diurnal migrants in the deeper channels. Recent studies on the Scotian Shelf by C. Miller (pers. comm.) show copepods concentrated on the banks in the summer and moving into the basins during the fall. The movements of two males in October and November into the basins east and southeast of Nova Scotia suggest that these may be fall (if not winter) feeding areas. The concentration of "deep dives" along the 200 m contour east of Jeffreys Ledge occurred in an area of frequent upwelling. Dives in this region were most consistently in the range of 130 m and may thus have been "off the bottom." The significance of the 200 m contour for right whales in our studies is similar to the 100 m contour found by Winn, et al. (1986) and CeTAP (1982) in the Great South Channel. The bank edges used by right whales in our studies adjoin basins which may harbor copepod concentrations, but also often correspond to the continental slope edge dropping off into deep water. Many of the whale’s movements coincided with eddies and thermal features such as fronts, upwellings and warm core rings (WCR). Upwellings usually have higher productivity, and fronts and eddies frequently concentrate prey. We were particularly surprised to see movements along a warm core ring edge far offshore in deep water. We do not know if right whales seek prey in areas of previous success, or recognize oceanographic characteristics where prey would concentrate. 1397 Diving The only right whale instrumented for depth dove deep routinely. The average dive duration for individual right whales (86 s +/-48) varied between 54 - 162 s. The number of dives varied from 9.2 to 153/hr. (x = 44.6/hr.). The variability in dive habits appears to be real, making simple correction factors for aerial and ship surveys less likely. We believe some of these differences were related to individual variability and environmental circumstances rather than differences in sex, age, or behavior. Whale diving strategies appeared to be most alike when they were swimming at "high"speeds (> 10km/hr.) although they were still not identical.’ We believe the relationship of average dive duration and number of dives/hour during high speed swimming may approach an optimal aerobic respiratory rate. Resting All whales spent time at the surface, but some more than others (range 13-33%). Interestingly, the fastest animal (a female) spent the most time at the surface, with 69% of all transmissions indicating surface resting. In contrast, a male spent less time surface resting when he was traveling between breeding areas than when he settled into one area and was presumably feeding. Effects of Tagging The 1989 attachment system was large, heavy, difficult to apply and not very effective. The two-stage projectile sequence did not work well due to drag and turbulence. None of the pole-deployed tags deployed in a completely satisfactory manner although one lasted 22 days and gave excellent dive depth information. We observed mixed reactions to the tagging process in 1989. None of the tags fully deployed. One whale resumed sleeping almost immediately after tagging while two others actively avoided the boat when we attempted to closely approach for follow-up observations. Overall, 1989 responses were more than would have been expected by a close boat approach. One whale tagged in 1989 was observed in 1990 at close range had a short straight white scar were the tag had been. The transmitters in 1990 were greatly reduced in size and weight compared to those used in 1989, although they no longer recorded depth data. The 1990 attachment system worked well. The tags were easily applied and caused only mild reactions from a few whales. Three whales were approached from 1-4 days after tagging with no more avoidance response than untagged whales. While we did see some mild swelling shortly after tag application on three animals in 1990, this was a normal and anticipated initial response to the process. There appeared to be no long-term ill affects from tagging. Calves did not 138 separate from mothers. Some whales did not move from the tagging area. Those whales that moved out of the area also came back into or toward the BOF. The whale with the longest track was observed 16 days after its last transmission and was still with its calf. There was no swelling where the tag had been and only a single circular 6 mm scar. We believe the 1990 tagging was neither overtly stressful nor a significant health hazard for right whales. We believe the attachment life is related more to pressure necrosis from rubbing and hydrodynamic drag on the tag than active tissue rejection. Ship Collisions Right whale movements varied, but all animals were exposed to areas of heavy ship traffic. All of the whales we tagged were in the deepest water in the BOF which is the shipping channel. "Wart’s" travels took her through the Boston and Long Island shipping lanes. Other whales used the 200+m slope edge. This tends to be the "first deep water" sought by large shipping vessels and thus overlaps an often used area of right whales. Prolonged surface resting (especially along the shelf edge) further exposes right whales to a risk of ship collision. In our experience, right whales are not easily disturbed when resting at the surface. Ships travel just off the shelf edge along Nova Scotia which is the shortest route in “deep" water between some U.S. and Canadian ports. Kraus (1990) has documented the scarring of 75% of the right whale population and attributed a portion of these to ship collisions. Based on the movements of tagged right whales into areas of high ship traffic and their surface resting activity, we conclude that injuries from collisions with large ships are likely. RECOMMENDATIONS We recommend MMS continue satellite-monitored large whale tracking as the most cost-effective (and in some cases, the only) method of acquiring movement. and dive data on numerous wide-ranging whales simultaneously. The following recommendations will help achieve longer lasting and more effective satellite-monitored tags. We have suggested specific subject and geographic areas for right whale and bowhead whale research where this technology can be used to an advantage. Additional research on bio-compatible materials may be helpful in finding a strong material for attachments or a transcutaneous antenna coating less likely to be rejected than stainless steel. The observation of stainless steel attachments bending 40 degrees suggests these materials will need to be supple and have considerable shear strength. The success we have experienced with dorsal fin attachments may be due in part to the use of plastic attachments which have no galvanic potential and therefore may be less irritating. Decreases in the physical size of the tag have occurred annually for the last several years, and there is the promise of a dramatic size reduction in 1992 at the sacrifice of sensor data. We recommend further miniaturization of the tags on the simple basis of reducing hydrodynamic drag and a likely increase in attachment longevity. The determination of 139 whether or not drag is a factor in tag longevity might be accomplished by an experiment which used both "standard" size tags and "miniature" tags on the same species during the same season, even if the smaller tags resulted in location data alone. Smaller size (and possibly reduced weight) may also be achieved by "potting" (filling air spaces) transmitters with suitable materials to reduce the need for heavy pressure housings. This has not been done in the past because the dielectric of the potting material caused the sensitive RF section of the transmitter to become detuned. Telonics has recently achieved potting of both the digital and RF portions of their smallest transmitter. However, the "savings"in weight may be negligible and additional structural strength beyond the potting material may be needed for anchoring the attachments. Most of the recent weight savings in transmitters have come from reduced battery requirements due to lower power output or reduced transmission schedules. Additional savings in battery power can be achieved by even better coordination of transmissions with the satellite passes. Because sensor data are prone to error from a variety of sources, we recommend the sensor data include an error detection, if not error correction, code. There is also a need for Service Argos to complete its promised work on this issue and reporting the details of all messages, including the times of transmission for duplicate messages. Our data suggest that temperature plays a significant role in right whale movements and their food gathering. Temperature monitoring should be one of the data priorities. We recommend satellite sea surface temperatures and meteorological information be included in future tracking budgets as they are key to interpreting some of the animal’s behaviors and movements. As our previous knowledge of whales has been collected largely from visual observations of surface activity,and much of the animal’s behavior occurs below the surface and out of sight, we recommend additional sensor and microprocessor capabilities be developed for pressure, temperature, acoustics and heart rate. Pressure sensors describe the third dimension of the whale’s world and demonstrated its usefulness for right whales in 1989. Dive depths deserve further attention. Physiological monitoring such as heart rate would also be desirable to appreciate the animal’s response to potentially adverse stimuli. Whales reduce their heart rate (bradycardia) during diving. Most animals increase their heart rate in response to frightening stimuli. Heart rate is presently monitored for seals with VHF tags by the Sea Mammals Research Unit in the U.K. (M. Fedak, pers. comm.) and has been demonstrated by T. Williams (pers. comm.) on bottlenose dolphins and by K. Brennan and J. Lien (pers. comm.) on large whales with a wire lead system. Further monitoring of the animal’s acoustic environment could demonstrate tolerances and sensitivity to ship traffic and seismic events while exploring the animal’s own communications. This is the first large data set of its kind to be analyzed. As a result, we now know a great deal more about the specific movements and round-the-clock dive patterns of right whales than ever before. The amount of satellite-acquired information and additional data 140 from other sources requires a considerable amount of time to verify and correlate. Tagging right whales for two years on a single year’s budget has precluded an exhaustive analysis for this report and preparation of peer-reviewed publications. We willrequest and recommend limited additional funding to correlate existing weather records with this right whale data and prepare these findings for publication. We recommend that adequate time is set aside in future studies to accomplish a thorough evaluation and write up of the analyzed data. Additional tagging of right whales would resolve the question of individual variability versus correlated differences between age, sex and reproductive classes. Retagging some of the same individuals would resolve whether they have annual stereotypic patterns. Specific biological questions also remain. It appears from recent genetic studies (M. Brown, pers. comm.) that there are three matrilineal stocks of right whales and one does not visit the BOF. One member of this stock has been seen off Greenland and in Cape Cod Bay (CCB) in the Spring. Because there are small numbers of right whales in CCB in the spring, the chances of tagging an individual that would go to Greenland may be better than in any other location. Other areas which deserve tagging attention include: the winter calving grounds off Georgia and Florida to determine the movements of pregnant females and females with calves; the GSC in the spring to examine dispersion; and areas south and east of Nova Scotia in the fall where we saw considerable right whale activity. The area east of Halifax and south to the tip of Nova Scotia was used more by right whales than expected and it would be worthwhile to conduct aerial surveys of the region in the early fall to determine whether or not this is a major concentration area. It would also be worth examining the records of natural history cruise ships which transit this area in the late summer and early fall to determine if vessel surveys would be worthwhile. SPECIFIC_ RECOMMENDATIONS _FOR BOWHEAD WHALE TAGGING We recommend that the exposed portion of the bowhead tag be as small as possible to avoid problems associated with hydrodynamic drag and abrasion of the tag on ice, the bottom and other animals. In the form used during 1990 on right whales, the new split- board ST-6 will reduce the tag diameter from 2" to 1 7/8". The same transmitter can be fitted into a "T-type" configuration (Figure 93), with half as many batteries housed in the vertical (subdermal) attachment portion of the "T". The transmitter would be housed in the 1" diameter horizontal portion of the "T"on the surface of the animal. We recommend trying this new design or the "location only" style in addition to the 1990 right whale-type during the 1991 bowhead whale tagging season. Because of the stronger connective tissue and thicker blubber of bowheads, we believe the new tag shape might be more successful. Less tag is exposed and it provides fewer holes in the animal’s skin. We also recommend having an applicator with more power as a “back-up” in the event the crossbow is inadequate. We recommend a gun or air-driven propellent system. While it is not yet possible to fully implant a "capsule tag," it may only be eighteen months before such applications are feasible. We recommend keeping abreast of these developments. It may also be feasible (according to some veterinarians) to implant a tag 141 in muscle with more security and no more risk of infection than present systems limited to the blubber layer. There would still be a transcutaneous antenna lead. Healing and adhesion might be faster due to increased blood supply. We recommend additional inquiry and experimentation in this area. While we acknowledge some of the limitations of the present technology, we believe the tremendous amount of information collected from even short periods of successful satellite-monitored tracking have been very worthwhile and cannot be economically duplicated by other techniques. We recommend this research be continued as the most cost- effective means presently available to collect information on the movements and dive patterns of free-ranging whales. 142 Figure 93. A "T" tag for possible application to bowhead whales in 1992. 143 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank MMS for their active support. We especially thank Jerry Imm (Alaska MMS) for his early appreciation of this technology and his perseverance in seeing its continued support. We thank and acknowledge excellent working relationships with Jerome Montague (COTR Alaska), Judy Wilson (COTR Atlantic), Bill Lang and Carol Fairfield, (Washington, D.C.) for MMS guidance. We thank Cleve Cowles (Anchorage MMS), and Robert Hofman (Marine Mammal Commission) for their encouragement, criticisms and practical help; Bill Watkins, Doug Wartzok and Romaine Maiefski for previous assistance in VHF studies; Cindy Ruhsam (University of Rhode Island, NOAA Remote Sensing Lab) for sea surface temperature images, David Gaskin, Joe Geraci, Jeff Goodyear, Kathy Frost, Lloyd Lowry, and Tony Martin for sharing technical advise; Randy Wells for collaborating on dolphin tagging; June Wilson-Hench and Larry Hench (U. of Florida) and Mike Walsh, Terry Campbell and Jack Pearson at Sea World, Orlando for BioGlass® testing; and Veryl Barry for office management and manuscript preparation. We thank Fred Biller for dart development materials; Del Martin for gun advice and Bruce Sorte and Clem LaCava for business management. A special thank you to Scott Kraus and the New England Aquarium field crew for their help, use of facilities and enthusiastic support. 144 LITERATURE _ CITED Bigelow, H.B., 1927. Physical oceanography of the Gulf of Maine. Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Fisheries 40(2):511-1027. Brown, C.W. and H.E. Winn. 1989. Relationship between the patterns of right whales, Eubalaena glacialis, and satellite-derived sea surface thermal structure in the Great South Channel. Contintental Shelf Research 9:247-260. Butman, B. and R.C. Beardsley, 1987. Physical oceanography in George’s Bank, In: (eds.) R.H. Backus and D.W. Bourne, Physical Oceanography, pp. 88-98. CeTAP. 1982. A characterization of marine mammals and turtles in the mid-and north Atlantic areas of the U.S. outer continental shelf. Final Report of the Cetacean and Turtle Assessment Program to the U.S. Dept. of Interior under Contract AA551-CT8-48. H.E. Winn, Scientific Director. Crone, M.J. and S.D. Kraus, 1990. Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis), in the Western North Atlantic: A catalog of identified individuals. Published for the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, Sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. Dolphin, W.F. 1987. Ventilation and dive patterns of humpback whales, Megaptera novaengliae, on their Alaskan feeding grounds. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 65:83-90. Gaskin, D.E., 1987. Updated status of the right whale in Canada. Canadian Field Naturalist 101(2):295-309. Goodyear, J. 1981. A new radio tag; the Remora, and behavior of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). The Journal of Ceta-Research 2:1-2. Geraci, J.R. and G.J.D. Smith, 1990. Cutaneous response to implants, tags, and marks in Beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, and bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus Can. Bull. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 224. Harvey, J. . and B.R. Mate. 1984. Dive characteristics and movements of radio-tagged gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja, California Sur, Mexico. In The Gray Whale (Jones, Swartz and Leatherwood eds.), Academic Press, Orlando, Florida. Chapter 24, pp. 561-575. Hench, L.L., 1980. Biomaterials. Science 208:826-831. Kraus, S.D.,J.H. Prescott, P.V.Turnbull and R.R. Reeves, 1982. Preliminary notes on the occurrence of the North Atlantic right whale, (Eubalaena glacialis), in the Bay of Fundy. Report of the International Whaling Commission 32:407-411. 145 Kraus, S.D.,J.H. Prescott, A.R. Knowlton and G.S. Stone. 1986. Migration and calving of right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in the western North Atlantic, pp. 139-144. In: R.L. Brownell, Jr., P.B. Best and J.H. Prescott (eds.) Right Whales: Past and Present Status, Special Issue No. 10. International Whaling Commission, Cambridge, England. Kraus, §.D.,M.J. Crone, A.R. Knowlton, 1988. The North Atlantic right whale. In: W.E. Chandler (ed), The Audubon Wildlife Report 1988/1989. Academic Press, N.Y. Kraus, S.D., 1990. Rates and potential causes of mortality in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Marine Mammal Science 6(4):278-291. Mate, B.R. and J.T. Harvey, 1982. Feasibility of tracking whales using the Argos satellite system. Final report prepared for the U.S. Dept. of Interior, Alaska Environmental Studies Program, November, 1982, 31 pp. Mate, B.R.,J. Harvey, R. Maiefski and L. Hobbs, 1983. A new radio tag for large whales. J. Wildl. Manage. 47(3):869-872. Mate, B.R., D.Beaty, C. Hoisington, R. Kutz and M.L. Mate, 1983. Satellite monitoring of humpback whale diving behavior and movements. Proceedings of the 1983 Service Argos User’s Conference, 27-28 September, 1983, London, England, 53 Pp. Mate, B., 1987. Free-ranging movements of a pilot whale from a satellite-monitored radio. 7th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals. (Abstract). Mate, B.R., 1988. Development of satellite-linked methods of large cetacean tagging and tracking capability in OCS lease areas - final report. Prepared for the U.S. Dept. 6 Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Minerals Management Service, OCS Study 87-0038, 137 pp. Mate, B., 1989. Satellite-monitored radio tracking as a method for studying cetacean movements and behavior. Rep. Int. Whal. Commn 39:389-391. Montgomery, S. 1987. Report on the 24-26 February workshop to assess possible systems for tracking large cetaceans. NTIS #PB87-182135, 54 pp. Schaeff, C.M.,S.D. Kraus, M. Brown, B.N. White, 1991. (Abstract). Population biology of North Atlantic right whales: Determined by MtDNA RFLP Analysis; varified with sighting data. Chicago, Illinois: Ninth Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Dec. 5-9. 146 Schevill, W.E., W.A. Watkins and K.E. Moore, 1986. Status of Eubalaena glacialis off Cape Cod, pp. 79-82. In: R.L. Brownell, Jr., P.B. Best and J.H. Prescott (eds.), Right Whales: Past and Present Status, Special Issue No. 10. International Whaling Commission, Cambridge, England. Scott, M.D.,R.S. Wells, A.B. Irvine and B.R. Mate, 1990. Tagging and marking studies on small cetaceans, pp. 489-514. In: R.R. Reeves and S. Leatherwood (eds.), The Bottlenose Dolphin, Academic Press. Stone, G.S.,S.D. Kraus, J.H. Prescott, and K.W. Hazard, 1988. Significant aggregations of the endangered right whale, Eubalaena glacialis, on the continental shelf of Nova Scotia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 102(3):471-474. Sumich, J.L. 1983. Swimming speeds, breathing rates, and estimated costs of transport in gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 61:647-652. Sumich, J.L. 1986. Latitudinal Distribution, calf growth and metabolism, and reproductive energetics of gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus. PhD. Dissertation, Oregon State University. 216pp. Wartzok, D., W.A. Watkins, B. Wursig, J. Guerrero, and J. Schoenherr. 1990. Movements and behaviors of bowhead whales. Report to Amoco Production Company. 197pp. Watkins, W.A.,K.E. Moore, D. Wartzok and J.H. Johnson, 1981. Radio tracking of finback (Balaenoptera physalus and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Deep-Sea Res. 28A(6):6\577-588. Wiebe, P.H., 1982. Rings of the Gulf Stream. Sci. Am. 246(3):60-70. Wilson, June and G.E. Merwin, 1988. Biomaterials for facial bone augmentation: comparative studies. J. Biomed. Mater. Res.: Applied Biomaterials 22(A2): 159-177. Winn, H.E., C.A. Price and P.W. Sorensen, 1986. The distributional biology of the right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) in the western North Atlantic. In: R.L. Brownell, Jr., P.B. Best and J.H. Prescott (eds.) Right Whales: Past and Present Status, Special Issue No. 10. International Whaling Commission, Cambridge, England, pp. 129-138. Wursig, B., R.S. Wells and D.A. Croll. 1986. Behavior of gray whales summering near St. Lawrence Island, Bering Sea. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 64:611-621. 147 Wursig, B., E.M. Dorsey, M.A. Fraker, R.S. Payne, W.J. Richardson, and R.S. Wells. 1984. Behavior of bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus, summering in the Beaufort Sea: surfacing, respiration and dive characteristics. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 62:1910-1921. 148 APPENDIX A ERROR DETECTION: The data from the pilot whale (1987) transmissions had about a 15% error rate, and it is reasonable to assume that we will continue to have a similar error rate from future transmissions. One method for increasing data reliability is to implement an error detection scheme. Errors found in the pilot whale transmissions occurred in bursts. "Bursts" are clumps of errors scattered over an otherwise clean transmission. A common scheme for the detection of burst errors is to add a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code to the transmission. In concept, the procedures for implementing a CR code are to: a) convert the data stream into a polynomial. Fachiebit position represents a coefficient of a polynomial, for instance: 10101 would be 1x* + Ox? + 1x* + ox! + 1x° and 11010 would be 1x* + 1x? + Ox? + 1x! + ox?; b) multiply the polynomial by x", where n = the number of error detection bits being used for the CRC code; c) divide the result by a special (primitive) polynomial. Primitives are specific to the number of error detection bits being used, for example: a primitive for 8 bits of error detection iis 1x’ + ox® + Ox? + Ox* + 1x° + Ox* + Ox!’ + 1x? represented by 10001001. Since there may be more than one applicable primitive, it is important that all parties concerned pre-agree on the primitive to be used; dad) the coefficients of the remainder are the CRC code; e) append the CRC code to the original data stream and transmit; f) upon receipt, divide the entire transmission by the primitive. If the new remainder is zero, then there were no errors. If the new remainder is non-zero, then there were errors. This scheme supposedly works with 100% accuracy for bursts of errors shorter than or equal to the number of bits used for detection. The detectability of errors longer than the number of 149 detection bits is approximately: 94% for 4 bits of detection, and 99.6% for 8 bits of detection. In practice, the steps for implementing a CRC code are: 1) Append n zero's to the right end of the data stream, where n = number of error detection bits. 2) Divide the extended data stream by a known primitive. Remember that this is modulo-2 POLYNOMIAL division, not straight division. If you have questions refer to the examples. 3) The coefficients of the REMAINDER of the division process are the CRC code. The number of bits in the CRC code must be equal to the number of error detection bits. Pad with leading zero's if necessary. 4) Transmit the original data stream and the appended CRC code. 5) Receive the transmission. 6) Divide (modulo-2 polynomial) the received data stream (including the CRC code) by the known primitive. If the remainder is zero, then there were no errors. If non-zero, an error occurred. Modulo-2 polynomial division uses modulo-2 addition. Modulo-2 addition can be defined as follows: 6) 0) at aL +0 +1 +0 +1 O 1 at 0) This is the “exclusive or" (XOR) function and is equivalent to ordinary addition, except 2 is equal to 0. Note that since (i ole— sO then 1 = —1- 150 Modulo-2 Polynomial Division: Example #1: (ise ise + ax? + Ox’ dx) f (ix! ax?) ieee! Oe ee fase ee 52 SSS SS Tx 1x? erase ix + Ox p 40 ix nb que a bc 1x? + ox! + 1x? 1x? + 1x! Ix! +. 1x? 1x' + 1x° 0 <-- REMAINDER Example #2: (1xt $40x° Fex® fo0xt tax?) 7 (ax! +,41x°) = 1x? + 1x? ae a Ta | DS ES apa 2G os ) Ibe! EOS ae ab se Ox se ibe 1x* + 1x3 scl + ax? 1x? +-1x? 1x° <-- REMAINDER 1a) Modulo-2 polynomial division using coefficients: Note that these are the same examples as above. Example #1: TaOde ft = ak{ajagal Ise) ae Tete Oa: aul 101 abl ata iLae 00 <-- REMAINDER Example #2: MOD Oday/ lel = 01 <-- REMAINDER WARNING: This is division of polynomials, not straight division of numbers. Using straight division the above examples work out to: 1001 with a remainder of 10 0111 with a remainder of 00 aaaiont yf 11 LOWOI 11 or converted to decimal 9 with a remainder of 2 7 with a remainder of O. NM rw Sa WW it These are NOT the results obtained using polynomial division. 152 Example CRC Code generation (first 3 steps): Givens: data stream = 32 bits error code (n) = 8 bits known primitive for 8 bits of detection = 1000 1001 (x’ + x? + 1) an example 32 bit data stream = 1010 1110 0011 0010 1011 0000 0110 OOO01 original data stream TOLO!) LLV0) OLE OOM, LOO OOO OL10" 0002: step 1, multilply by x” (append n zero's) 1010 1110 0011 0010 1011 0000 0110 0001 0000 0000 step 2, divide the polynomials 1000 1001 / 1010 1110 0011 0010 1011 0000 0110 0001 0000 0000 1000 1001 10 0010 O1 1000 1001 100 0100 1 10 1100 1000 0000 10 0010 O1 1110 1100 0000 1000 1001 153 110 0101 0000 100 0100 1 10 0001 1000 10 0010 O1 REMAINDER SOO step 3, pad with leading zero's 0011 1100 Using hexadecimal notation, the above calculation would be: AE 32 BO 61 / 89 = ? with a remainder of 3C. A table of some sample 32 bit data streams and their remainders when divided by the primitive 1000 1001 (89 Hex) (all values are in hexadecimal): data stream remainder 00 00 OO O1 FZ 00 00 OO 10 32 00 00 O1 OO 16 00 00 10 00 72 OGeDAwESS 916 53 jie 24CD QE 39 Di aS 187 Rel: 73 2A 3E BE 71 5A SS) HS IDE) elaal 56 8D 4E 9F 9A 5D IN BZP Vsowr@al ZC CIS S8ehs sic 00 G9 g4CnlF,55 69 PAGE AN li/aES: 46 Upon receipt of a transmission, the data stream is once again divided by the primitive. The remainder is compared with the transmitted remainder. If the remainders match, no errors occurred. References: Lin, S., An Introduction to Error-Correcting Codes, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1970. Wakerly, J., Error Detecting Codes, Self-Checking Circuits and Applications, North-Holland, New York, 1978. 154 Appendix B 1990 PTT format and error detection INTRO Since telemetry is prone to transmission errors, data reliability is dependant on the detection and elimination of these errors. In our data, we have observed that these errors tend to occur in bursts (see Michelson and Levesque, 1985 for a description of burst errors). When there is no built in method of error detection, circumstantial methods can be used to identify many errors. CIRCUMSTANCES Many factors influence the occurrence of transmissions. Since the radio frequency we use does not travel through water, the tag only transmits when it is out of the water. However, the tag is positioned on a portion of the body that clears the water with each surfacing of the whale. In order to conserve battery power, transmissions occur only during two hours out of every six. A further restriction is imposed by the satellite data collection service: no two transmissions from the same transmitter may occur within 40 seconds of each other. This is referred to as "repetition period". The repetition periods for our 1990 transmitters varied from 42 - 52 seconds. Not all transmissions are received. In addition to all of the above restrictions, a satellite has to be within reception range of the transmitter. In the study area, a satellite comes into reception range about 14 times a day. The satellite then stays in range for only about 10 minutes. These restrictions result in the receipt of an average of 4.8 transmissions per summary period. The data portion of each 1990 right whale transmission consists of 64 bits containing 6 fields. field length (bits) field description 8 temperature (degrees C) 16 duration of dive just previous to transmission (secon 16 average dive duration during summary period (seconds) 16 dive count during summary period 2 failsafe flag 6 inter-transmission dive count (itd) 64 The average dive duration and the dive count are summary data collected over a 6 hour interval (summary period) and transmitted during the following summary period. Throughout a summary period, the transmitted values for these fields do not change. The summary data occupy half of the transmission. The temperature, dive duration, and inter-transmission dive count reflect 143)§5) conditions at the time of transmission. This data changes with each transmission and is referred to as "discrete" data. The inter-transmission dive field is a compensation for the repetition period restriction. If the repetition period has not expired when the tag surfaces, no transmission occurs, the inter-transmission dive counter is incremented by one, and the temperature and dive duration are lost. The failsafe flag is a warning indicator. Normally the field has a value of zero. However, if the sensors indicate that the transmitter has been submerged for longer than 168 hours (7 days), this field transmits a special value. It should be noted that none of the transmitters deployed during 1990 meet the conditions necessary for this field to have a value other than zero. Therefore for this field, any non-zero value is an error. There is one more useful piece of information provided with the transmission: the time and date the transmission was received by the satellite. While this is not part of the original transmission, the satellite appends it to the transmission and it is part of the record provided by the satellite data collection service. Example Data Set: transmissions received over 2 summary periods. time temp dive fail average # Oo date (GMT) (C) dur(S) itd dups safe dive(S) dive PES 2esep 910) 237:/01657 20.8 206 al: at 0) 40 47: summary 12) Sep 90) 23'30823 2069 20 aL aL ) 40 47 period 12 Sep 90 23:14:24 20.4 176 a 1 ) 40 47 second Hse Sepy 90" O53 25532 LAR, 614 6) 1 0) 32 84 summary 13 Sep 90 07:02:42 2h 2 378 O al 0) 32 84 period M3) Sep) 90 ~07':'03'326 WAG A 10 2, 1 6) 32 84 <- date and time -> <---- discrete ----> <- summary - of transmission <-- appended by --> @SSSSSS= transmitted from the tag ----- the satellite ERROR DETECTION METHODS: Summary data: The duplication of the summary data provides an easy method of error detection. If two or more transmissions occurring in the same summary period have the same value for a summary field, then the value is either correct or exactly the same error burst occurred. The probability of identical error bursts occurring in neighboring transmissions is quite low (less than 0.1%) so duplicate values are assumed to be correct. Any other value is an error. If there are no duplicate values, then the summary field cannot be confirmed and is assumed to be in error. Additionally, some simple range checking can be performed. Since the minimum duration of a dive is 6 seconds, this is also the minimum value for the average dive duration field. The maximum value for the dive count is 3600: max dive count = summary period / minimum dive duration L516 21,600 seconds / 6 seconds 3600. Discrete data: It is more difficult to detect errors in the discrete dive information. However, the following checks can still be performed: 1) 4) 5) 6) Does the failsafe field have a zero value? Since the conditions for a non-zero value of the failsafe field were never attained, any non-zero value in this field is an error. Is the temperature above -40 degrees C? This check is separate from the following temperature check, because transmissions from one of the tags would occasionally report a drop to an extremely low temperature (below -40) and stay at that reading for an extended duration (up to a couple days). During these times, all the other readings would appear normal. Therefore, we concluded that the sensor, rather than the transmission, was faulty. Is the temperature within believable limits (3 - 36 degrees C)? Examples: temp error -60 faulty sensor -3 below range limit 50 above range limit 10 no error Is the duration of the dive just previous to the transmission less than a maximum value (45 minutes) ? Is the inter-transmission dive count less than the maximum possible for the repetition period? With a minimum dive duration of 6 seconds and a minimum of one second at the surface, the minimum duration for a full dive-surface cycle is 7 seconds. If the repetition period is 42 seconds, a maximum of 6 dives can occur during the repetition period. Is the sum of the previous dive duration and the minimum time necessary inter-transmission dives (7 seconds per inter- transmission dive) less than the duration of the interval between the current and previous transmissions. Examples: previous dive inter calc actual duration trans interval interval error HH:MM:SS dives HH:MM:SS HH:MM:SS 00:50:00 (e) 0:50:00 315 }(0) R(0}(0) actual exceeds maximum 00:02:00 ie) 0:02:00 0:01:30 calc exceeds actual 00:02:00 2 OOZ4 O02 FAO calc exceeds actual 00:02:00 #7) 0:02:14 OO VR2O no error If the dive duration is zero, is the inter-transmission dive count zero? A dive duration of zero occurs when the tag is out of the water for the entire repetition period. In this instance, no iba) 7/ inter-transmission dives can occur. CONCLUSION Since transmission errors occur in bursts, any error subjects the entire transmission to doubt. Therefore, transmissions with errors are not used in the analysis of discrete data. However, if a faulty temperature sensor is the only error detected in a transmission, the transmission is used for dive duration analysis but not temperature analysis. Errors do not affect the summary data in such a dramatic manner. A duplicate value within a summary period is the correct value for that period. Therefore, other errors can be ignored for summary data analysis. 158 Line PrT Date time(GMT) pass temp last aveDur sumDiv fail itd dup err OFS 2 Sek ee Se Do One 2321480140). 2a 12) .74 L12) STII SSSBLELS 37-33 1 182 G2) eS23 12 Sep 90 23:50:07 eal ae ae! 6) 140 110 0 0 al 48 js} tis} all Gye) Eley” AsiBisy7/S (ols) 21 2.6 418 140 622 ) 4 1 18480 O45 5823 3 Sep 90 05:25 382 7373 NAF 614 232 mn 0) (6) 1 0) O05) 5823 13 Sep, 90) (05: 26)31'4 22 47, 431008 232 ao (e) 7 1 4098 06 823 13 Sep 90 07:02:42 23 A) 5 72 378 232 79 (6) 0 1 0 O07 823 13 Sep 90 07:03:26 23 Wye 10 232 79 (0) 2 a! 0 O08) 823. 13 Sep, 90). 11:59)2.28 24), e133 14 168 32881 0) it 16 CS 823 13 Sep 90 12:04:53 24 355 288 168 ata ke} 0) 0 ak 0 LON 823 L3igSep) IO 22105235 Paes als} 55) eZ 168 3 0) 0) 1 0 A) S25 ae Se DCO melas 392127, Pye) ale oak 260 52 388 (0) al 1 0 L252 Se ba CDS On eedels 14 Olselys PEN UB G7 20 52 388 0) it 1 0 £3 823) 34 Sep 590) 9153.41 On: 29) we lsaye! 20 54 4500 (0) 9 1 2194 14 823 14 Sep 90 11:47:10 29S 20 8112 743 Be 7, at 150 Ss 823 15 Sep 90 00:44:07 32 20.0 274 48 8594 0 0) al 16 16 823 Loe Sep) 90) (\0'0):/4'5):016 32 39 18 48 402 0) al 0 i Moe S LS TSep IOP O64 3i43 335 e204 22 44 428 0 1 it 8 8 823° £5 Sep 90 12)354:3144 34 20.0 204 40 33262 ) al 1 16 9) 38235) 31'S Sep) 9.0) ge2:56)35'4 345 aeli4. 5 14 40 494 e) 2 1 0 207823) 5 sSepy 90 eel 2):!5'8 14a! 34 20.0 20 40 494 0) al 1 0 Za 823) 25 Sep 90) 1'2':!59)2 310 34 20.0 22 40 494 ) at 1 0 Zi2mence 3S 15 Sep 90 18 3:06)3:57 JS Aloo 206 40 479 ) af al 0 23 uo2s)) LSSep .90) 280823 35 14.9 20 40 479 te) af al 0 24 823) 25, Sep), 910) » 8424 3:55. 210)94 176 40 479 ie) 1 ak 0 25 E823) LS SepE 90 eol8 se) 210 Bi5m 5 alt4,.19 28 40 479 0 al iL 0 26 823 16 Sep 90 06:28:10 357825) .18 282 40 460 2 1 al 4 27 823 16 Sep 90 06:28:54 37 14.35 14 40 460 fe) 1 Be 0 28 823 16 Sep 90 17:53:42 Bie) WS 7 22 38 489 al 2 al 20 298235 16s Seppe One Iii 55223 3 Sela 7 80 38 483 0) 1 at 0) 305 823" N65 Sepe 90 ayieSi7ic06 sey ae a 78 38 483 ) Z at 0 31 823 16,.Sep, 90) | 17358352 39) al4e3 18 38 483 ) at x 0 S2aeoes 16 Sep 90 18:00:42 39 14.5 34 38 483 ie) 1 at 0 33 823 16 Sep 90 18:04:14 39 4,1: 156 38 483 0) 10) al 0 34 cS 16 Sep 90 18:05:02 Zhe} all ol 12 38 483 0) 20 1 2050 355 O23 16 Sep 90 18:05:46 319 ae 8 3893325 6) 2 1 16 36 823 17 Sep 90 M2ie 2 324 43 20.0 8 26 530 0 1 1 0) Y/ 823 17 Sep 90 L231 Oi7, 43 20.4 8 26 530 10) aL aL 0 38) 8235 2tieSepe90 12:1 3)953 ASS te OS 8 26 530 0) 1 ab 0 a9 823 LiaSsepu9O) 22 '314i:)3i7 43) 2358) LPE5S64 ~ 911564 “53191710 3) 26 1 6294 400 823)" LywsSen soo) 22 ahaa A309 28557 8 26 530 (e) 2 1 0 The error codes are: 32768 the first summary period does not cover a full 6 hours. 159 (this is not checked by the program, it is done by hand) temp 16384 temp less than min_temp ( 3 degrees C) 8192 temp greater than max_temp (36 degrees C) dive duration 4096 duration exceeds max_duration (45 min) 2048 (duration + (7sec * ITD)) exceeds time since previous transmissi zero duration dives 1024 (duration = 0) AND (itd <> 0) average dive duration Sa ave dur less than min_ave dur 256 summary period does not have two matching ave durs 128 ave _ dur does not match period ave dur number of dives 64 sum_dives greater than max_sum dives 32 summary cycle does not have two matching sum dives 16 sum_dive does not match cycle sum _dive number of transmissions 8 only one transmission failsafe 4 failsafe set Inter Transmission Dives 2 ITD exceeds max_itd Temp sensor failure al temp at 999 Each time an error is identified, the code for that error is added to the error 160 SEX DAY MON YEAR F 3 2 67 FP 29 4 74 K 19 8 80 F 1 4 81 EF 12 6 81 F 13 8 81 F 18 8 81 F 19 8 81 F 2 9 81 FP 8 9 81 F 18 4 82 F 3 8 82 F 4 8 82 F 30 8 82 F 1 9 82 F 11 9 82 F 20 9 82 F 20 9 82 F S210 82 F 21 2 84 FP 26 3 84 P 28 4 84 F 11 5 84 F 6 8 84 F 17 8 84 F 18 8 84 F 18 8 84 E 19 8 84 F 19 8 84 F 22 8 84 F 26 8 84 P 27 8 84 F 3 9 84 F 10 3 85s F il 3 85 F 28 3 85 FP 7 1 87 F 15 2 87 F 16 2 87 F 8 4 87 F 15 4 87 F 15 9 87 F 17 9 87 F 23 9 87 F 6 10 87 P 22 8 90 FP 24 8 90 FP 13 10 90 F LS e ee 90 F 4 8 91 F 12 8 91 LATD 2728.0 4150.0 4250.4 2748.6 4158.0 4442.5 4442.8 4442.8 4438.2 4200.8 4445.5 4447.5 4445.9 4444.8 4437.6 4443.1 4444.0 4441.0 2905.3 3055.4 4153.8 4200.8 4442.5 4437.0 4437.0 4443.0 4428.2 4437.0 4435.9 4436.7 4156.6 4156.4 4208.6 3616.0 2742.0 2740.5 4156.1 4200.1 4436.5 4434.2 4435.5 4438.3 4435.2 4443.4 4207.1 3051.7 4436.4 4441.1 RIGHT WHALE CATALOG LONG 8016.0 7011.0 6532.6 8024.5 7024.0 6635.0 6621.9 6625.0 6626.4 7009.8 6637.9 6637.5 6633.8 6637.9 6631.8 6622.9 6625.0 6619.0 8053.6 8118.4 7016.4 7012.8 6626.2 6627.0 6627.0 6630.0 6631.8 6633.0 6625.2 6630.4 7013.6 7014.4 7018.8 8123.0 8022.0 8021.7 7014.3 7015.0 6626.0 6626.5 6627.2 6622.8 6627.2 6624.6 7017.9 8113.6 6626.5 6620.2 161 AREA OBS FL CALD MB WHOI BB URI FL aAG# MB WHOL BOF NEA/A BOF NEA/N BOF COA BOF NEA/A BOF NEA/N MB ccs BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/8 BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/A BOF NEA/A FL NEA/A GA URI/A MB ccs MB ccs BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/A BOF NEA/J BOF NEA/J BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs FL NEA/A FL NEA/A FL FvV# MB ccs MB ccs BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N MB ccs GA ACE BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N ID 1 COMMENTS W/CALF W/CALF "STRIPE" W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 ou W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 W/CALF1163 segue W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF?SAG W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 W/CALF1406 SKIMFEEDING SAG W/CALF1706 W/CALF1706 W/CALF W/CALF W/CALF W/CALF W/CALF W/CALF 1706 1706? 1706 1706 1706 1706 W/CALF1706 SATTAG W/CALF W/CALF 2135 * hg a Le] PrP PPP PPP PPP PUPP PPP PPP PP PPP PY POP YP PPP Pee Pree ype yy YY SEX DAY MON YEAR F 29 8 91 F 28 9 91 F 21 5 81 F 18 8 81 F 29 8 81 F 3 8 82 F 4 8 82 F 6 8 82 F 7 8 82 F 7 8 82 F 12 8 82 F 18 8 82 F 6 9 82 F 8 9 82 F ots 9 82 F 18 9 82 F 20 9 82 F 13 4 86 F 14 4 86 F 8 1 87 F 29 a! 87 F 3 2 87 F 14 2 87 FP 8 4 87 F 9 4 87 F 10 4 87 F lsh 4 87 F Uf 6 87 F 2! 9 87 FP 2° 20 87 F 7 10 87 F 28 5 88 F stak 1 90 F 6 5 90 F 15 8 90 F 22 8 90 F 24 8 90 F 0 9 90 F 10 9 90 F 10 9 90 F 21 10 90 M 25 10 77 M 19 8 80 M 19 5 81 M 26 8 81 M 2 9 81 M 2 9 81 M 10 9 81 M 22 9 81 M 23 4 83 LATD 4438.6 4438.2 4118.1 4442.3 4432.1 SEE 4439.1 4434.6 4435.8 4436.1 4437.9 4439.1 4439.7 4439.1 4437.7 4440.0 4444.0 4202.4 4203.6 3017.0 3017.0 3002.0 3154.1 4151.3 4159.2 4205.0 4208.2 4124.7 4444.5 4440.3 4437.0 4113.8 3038.3 4158.7 4436.2 4438.7 4443.4 OLD SCA 4217.3 4215.0 BRIER 4230.0 4250.4 ASK 4440.6 4455.1 4455.1 CHECK 4443.3 4208.3 APPENDIX C RIGHT WHALE CATALOG LONG 6626.1 6620.1 6903.7 6623.4 6617.1 BOSTON 6634.5 6630.3 6628.9 6628.9 6627.6 6625.3 6626.7 6624.3 6628.9 6627.0 6625.0 7015.9 7015.2 8123.0 8122.0 8118.0 8048.6 7013.3 7011.3 7016.5 7020.7 6851.1 6624.0 6627.8 6638.0 6859.6 8111.9 7016.1 6627.6 6629.9 6624.2 7021.3 162 AREA OBS BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N Gsc_ URI BOF NEA/N BOF URI BOF UG BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/A MB ccs MB ccs FL NEA/A FL NEA/V FL NEA/A GA URI/A MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs Gsc URI BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/S GSC URI/V FL NEA/A MB ccs BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N JL NuHSC MB ccs MB PMMRC BOF BIOS MB ORES BB URI GSC URI/A BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/A BOF UG BOF NEA/N MB ccs ID COMMENTS W/ CALF 2135 W/ CALF 2135 “WART" MUD sees W/CALF1245 W/CALF1245 W/CALF1245 W/CALF1245 * W/1245,NUR * W/CALF1245 * W/CALF1245 W/CALF1245 W/CALF1245 SAG * SKIMPEEDING W/CALF1704 W/CALF1704 W/CALF1704 W/CALF 1704 W/CALF 1704 W/CALF 1704 W/CALF 1704 W/CALF 1704 W/CALF 1704 W/CALF 1704 W/CALF 1704 ALONE W/CALF 2040 W/ CALF 2040 SAG, W/CALF 2040 SATTAG, W/CALF 2040 W/CALF 2040 W/CALF 2040 W/CALF 2040 W/CALF 2040 "VAN HALEN" #7002 LG SAG SAG * SAG AGE aaqaadqaqaqdqadaayorery PpYyPP UP PPP YP PY PP YY PPP PPP PP EPP PPP Ye YyPyPadardyry NEA# SEX DAY MON YEAR Fe ie ihe ie ike ke ac tc atc ak akc kc cs I I a I cS I Ss Sc Ss Sc I Ic cS Sc I Is wonDMWe WWUUUWWUOWOWWMMDOAOALhkWWUULR HHH S YINoOoOuvworx VVUO RO NO WWW WUMO”W LATD 4200.3 4200.8 4201.0 RACE 4201.5 4201.0 4155.5 4200.2 4155.3 4200.6 4259.9 4427.8 4429.0 4437.0 4436.7 4442.5 4152.6 4433.0 4152.0 4119.3 4251.2 4155.5 4150.7 4153.4 4203.3 4259.1 4251.3 4257.7 4439.7 4459.9 4458.9 4456.0 4458.0 4500.6 4500.1 4434.0 4443.3 4441.4 4437.5 4438.0 4440.9 4442.8 4127.8 4253.0 4254.8 4255.2 4137.5 4440.0 4426.8 4155.5 4158.6 RIGHT WHALE CATALOG LONG 7018.3 7017.9 7019.0 POINT 7016.1 7015.6 7018.4 7013.4 7011.7 7008.8 6511.1 6631.6 6629.0 6630.0 6632.2 6635.8 7010.5 6624.7 7012.9 6858.8 6534.3 7010.4 7013.7 6824.5 6507.4 6502.6 6516.7 6508.2 6627.8 6643.9 6646.6 6647.4 6645.0 6646.7 6647.9 6632.0 6619.9 6633.8 6626.9 6624.6 6622.7 6624.9 6913.0 7015.0 7012.9 7015.6 6920.1 6635.0 6634.5 7011.2 6852.1 163 AREA OBS ID woowwn oQ wo wobouwnwownww 1H RSESESESESESERESSES GOCE REZEZERESESESESESESS COMMENTS SAG * SAG SAG * SKIMFEEDING? SKIMFEEDING SKIMFEEDING W/La’s,SKMFDG* SAG SAG SAG SAG tJ SKIMFEEDING SAG SAG SAG SAG SAG 2 SATTAG. SAG * "NECKLACE" SAG SAG POS. SAG * AGE Adddaqaqdqddqdqddddqdqdqdddddadadayrrrryrrrrrrrrradqadagdqaagqagqagagqgdagdggdggaagda SEX DAY MON YEAR M 30 8 87 M 11 9 87 M 12 9 87 M 13 9 87 M 15 9 87 M 27 5 88 M 20 8 88 M 23 8 88 H 23 8 88 M 20 5 89 M 3 6 89 M 21 u 89 M 21 U 89 M 21 9 89 M an 9 89 M 22 8 90 M 24 8 90 F 7 8 82 F zu 8 82 F 22 8 82 F 4 8 84 E v= LO 84 F 11 6 87 FP 5 5 88 F 9 5 88 F 15 5 88 F il 2 91 F 16 2 91 F 17 2 91 F 9 8 91 F 25 8 91 F 2 9 91 FP 22 9 91 F 27 9 91 F 21 2 84 F 26 3 84 FP 28 4 84 F il 5 84 F 6 8 84 F 17 8 84 F 18 8 84 F 18 8 84 F 19 8 84 F 19 8 84 Ez, 19 8 84 F 26 8 84 F 27 8 84 F 3 9 84 F 9 3 85s F 2 5 85 RIGHT WHALE CATALOG LATD LONG 4439.2 6624.9 4442.2 6624.0 4441.6 6621.6 4436.6 6628.0 4436.8 6625.6 4121.3 6900.1 4437.8 6629.6 SEE LOR AN 4433.2 6631.8 4142.6 6841.4 4131.6 6843.9 CONVERT LORAN CONVERT LORAN 4435.3 6620.6 4439.6 6621.5 4438.8 6629.9 4443.0 6623.6 4441.0 6631.0 4447.6 6632.2 4443.4 6617.7 4255.3 6525.3 4438.3 6630.5 4122.6 6838.8 4135.0 6927.9 4134.1 6924.4 4124.2 6914.2 3020.5 8119.3 3049.2 8122.5 3032.1 8117.2 4437.5 6624.2 4437.0 6633.4 4440.0 6627.1 4435.1 6626.8 4438.6 6622.7 2905.3 8050.3 3055.4 8118.4 4153.8 7016.4 4200.8 7012.8 4442.5 6626.2 4438.0 6625.0 4437.0 6627.0 4436.4 6631.9 4443.0 6630.0 4437.0 6633.0 4435.9 6625.2 4436.7 6630.4 4151.8 7013.8 4347.7 6925.8 164 AREA OBS BOF NEA/D BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N GSC URI/V BOF NEA/N BOF JGs BOF NEA/N GSC URI/V Gsc URI/V MB CRU MB NHSC BOF NEA/N BOF CESSNA BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/S BOF NEA BB NEA/T BOF NEA/N GSC URI/V GSC URI/A GSC URI/A GSC URI/A FL NEA/S FL NEA/A FL ACE BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N FL NEA/A GA OURI/A MB ccs MB ccs BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/A BOF NEA/J BOF NEA/J BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N MB ccs ME USsCcG ID COMMENTS SAG SAG W/ 1703 SAG 8AG SAG SAG SAG * SATTAG segue CALF OF 1242 CALF OF 1242 SAG * SAG W/ SCARPROP CALF W/ CALF 2143 W/CALF,PROP SCARS W/CALF * W/CALF 2143 W/ CALF 2143 W/ CALF 2143 SATTAG W/ CALF2143 CALF OF 1135 *# CALF OF 1135 * CALF OF 1135 CALFOF1135 NUR 1135 1135 1135 1135 1135 1135 CALF 1135 CALFOF1135 * CALF OF 1135 CALFOF1135 * * LOBSTERGEAR* AGE ww~ww~vnvunvnwvnwnuanannunnooorraqadgqadqaqagnggqagagdqagagagagagadg el a oo oo eo oe oi ot oi oil oi =i =) SEX DAY MON YEAR F 10 8 85 FP 13 8 85 F 18 8 85 F 30 8 85 F 18 2 88 F 26 2 88 F 19 8 88 F 18 8 89 F 14 9 89 FP 15 10 89 F 14 #11 89 FP 22 9 91 F ey ok) 91 M 27 5 81 M 10 8 83 M 4 9 84 M 17 9 84 M Lue LO 84 M 20 3 85 M 22 3 85 M 23 5 85 M 8 2 86 M 23 8 86 M 22 9 86 M 16 610 86 M 28 8 87 M 17 2 88 M 18 2 88 M 19 2 88 M 31 8 88 M 25 9 89 M 12 9 90 f 17 2 86 f 21 2 86 3 19 6 86 f 29 8 86 f 31 8 86 f 0 9 86 is 4 9 86 ft 6 9 86 f 9 9 86 ft 19 9 86 vs 20 9 86 f re) 9 86 ft eid 9 86 ft a bt phe) 86 ft 2am 10 86 ft =e) 86 ft 4 10 86 © 8 10 86 bd 11 10 86 RIGHT WHALE CATALOG LATD LONG 4434.3 6628.3 4436.1 6633.0 4436.9 6627.4 4435.2 6630.4 4154.7 7012.9 4159.2 7014.1 4248.2 6521.1 4439.5 6623.0 4434.2 6630.2 4439.3 6628.3 3341.3 7825.0 4436.8 6626.7 4440.0 6624.1 4116.0 6903.0 4257.6 6517.0 4358.0 6807.0 4441.4 6632.5 4159.7 7009.6 4152.3 7014.6 4126.2 6917.1 4154.4 7014.9 4256.2 6514.1 4444.0 6623.7 4442.4 6628.0 4253.0 6514.0 4152.1 7022.9 4155.0 7012.8 4155.7 7013.5 4248.7 6531.7 4436.3 6626.3 4431.8 6632.2 2809.4 8033.5 NO LOCA TION 4211.5 7008.7 4215.8 7013.1 4203.7 7020.7 4205.3 7024.3 4208.1 7024.7 4209.3 7018.2 4213.1 7026.0 4202.2 7018.2 4201.0 7013.7 4200.8 7010.2 4200.7 7018.1 4200.8 7010.9 4200.5 7012.1 4201.0 7014.9 4209.2 7023.8 4208.6 7021.6 165 AREA OBS BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N MB ccs MB ccs BB NEA/7 BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N SC NEA/A BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N Gsc URI BB NEA/A MDR COA BOF NEA/S BOF NEA/N MB ccs MB ccs GSC URI/A MB ccs BB NEA/M BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BB SFA MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs BB NEA/7 BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N FL NEA/A FL SEAWLD MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB FWe MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs MB ccs ID COMMENTS SAG SAG #*# SAG W/ 1157 SATTAG DARTED "WILLIE" SAG SAG SATTAG, MUD CALF OF 1163 CALF OF 1163 CALF OF 1163*% CALF OF 1163% CALF OF 1163 "MORSE" CALF OF 1163 CALF OF 1163 CALF ALONE CALFOF1163*# CALF ALONE* CALFOF1163 CALF OF 1163 ALONE CALF OF 1163 ALONE ALONE CALF OF 1163 CALF OF 1163 AGE goo0o0c0ocecoocodaooocoaooaoaoaoaooaooeooddddddddddadadaadadaa ayy uunuune & &rPrPr Pe NEA# SEX DAY MON YEAR f Leer Lo 86 ft 2 86 ft 13 10 86 ft LSLo 86 f sky ake) 86 2g LS LO 86 f Lo to 86 s ate) kts) 86 ft 20 10 86 ft 2z 10 86 ft Zoo 86 8 25 10 86 f 26 5 87 re 21 8 87 f 26 8 87 £ 28 8 87 if 30 8 87 ft 1 9 87 f 10 9 87 f 14 9 87 f 15 9 87 ft 16 9 87 ft 11 8 89 ft 13 9 89 f 25 9 89 f pe o°) 89 f 15 10 89 f 16 8 90 f 21 8 90 ft 735) 8 90 ft 31 8 90 f 1 9 90 ft 9 8 91 f 12 8 91 f 22 9 91 F 28 9 91 F 23 8 86 F U 5 87 F 29 8 89 FP 4 9 89 FP il 1 90 F 15 8 90 F 20 8 90 F 22 8 90 F 25 8 90 F 26 8 90 F 30 8 90 E 31 8 90 F 1 9 90 F 10 8 89 LATD 4201.1 4201.1 4201.8 4200.2 4200.7 4206.0 4204.1 4204.1 4204.2 4128.4 4205.5 4234.2 4236.7 4202.8 4205.6 4201.4 4202.2 4204.1 4208.1 4439.5 4430.0 4436.8 4438.6 4435.4 4441.8 4432.8 4443.0 4433.7 4436.3 4437.6 4440.6 4436.0 4437.4 4256.2 4137.9 4255.7 4253.0 3038.3 4435.9 4439.1 4438.2 4441.2 4442.6 4434.9 4434.4 4434.1 4456.4 RIGHT WHALE CATALOG LONG 7013.3 7013.3 7016.5 7011.3 7011.6 7019.6 7019.3 7020.7 7021.4 6933.1 7015.8 7027.4 7024.9 7011.5 7016.6 7013.5 7016.1 7015.9 7010.1 6627.9 6626.8 6625.6 6628.1 6634.4 6627.2 6631.4 6622.6 6631.2 6631.8 6623.8 6621.2 6627.2 6620.0 6514.1 6832.4 6507.4 6519.9 8111.9 6627.6 6627.2 6633.2 6623.8 6624.8 6629.7 6632.2 6632.1 6626.7 166 AREA OBS BEGGS SSG GO bb GD bbb ooo & & ID FEEDING MUD W/ 1140 W/CALF 2 * W/CALF DARTED MUD, DARTED,W/CALF ALONE SATTAG,W/CALF 2029 ALONE W/ CALF 2029 DARTED * 1163 1163 1163 1163 1163 1163 029 AGE OPrPYyP PPP PRPAAAAQAUUUUS SS eWWWWYEPPEPPP PRP BPR RP OOOO OAOAOAGAAOAOOO NEA? 1941 1941 1941 1941 1941 1941 1981 1981 1981 1981 1981 1981- 1981 1981 1981 1981 1981 SEX hy hy hy hy hy DAY omOwmdomoowomovwvnnwnvwnonownv hw MON YEAR 89 89 89 90 90 90 89 89 89 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 LATD 4442.8 4431.0 4433.1 4437.1 4442.0 4436.0 4438.9 4437.2 4444.1 4436.1 4439.6 4444.3 4442.2 4440.0 4434.8 4436.1 4436.4 RIGHT WHALE CATALOG LONG 6624.0 6626.4 6630.6 6628.3 6625.5 6632.0 6627.6 6628.1 6633.0 6627.9 6625.3 6624.6 6623.5 6627.3 6629.7 6631.4 6632.0 AREA OBS BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N BOF NEA/N 167 ID COMMENTS CALF OF ALONE CALF OF SATTAG * CALF OF CALF OF CALF OF SATTAG * SAG W/ 2018 1241 1241 1281 1281 1281 AGE PRPPPBPBPRRBPROOORFKKFPOAOO nar ; ‘ey ‘ pes a : AP , bbls | — i D i bs i — : 1 v1 Pe we i,