Abstract

Humpback whales migrate in winter from northern feeding grounds to geographically separate breeding assemblies in near-shore waters of Mexico and Hawaii. Currently assessed as distinct populations warranting separate management, their shared song composition and interchange of photo-identified whales question this paradigm. To investigate a potential connection an autonomous Wave Glider performed a 6965.5 km, 100-day (round trip) acoustic survey from Hawaii toward Mexico circa 20° N, from January 15 to April 25, 2018. The 2272 h of recordings included humpback whale calls to approximately midway from Hawaii to Mexico. Explanations include an undocumented migration route, offshore assembly, or mid-season travel between assemblies.

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