Abstract
ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 26:235-241 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00644 Long-term individual sighting history database: an effective tool to monitor satellite tag effects on cetaceans D. Gendron1,*, I. Martinez Serrano2, A. Ugalde de la Cruz1, J. Calambokidis3, B. Mate4 1Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, La Paz, Baja California Sur CP 23096, Mexico 2Museo de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz CP 91000, Mexico 3Cascadia Research, 218½ W 4th Ave, Olympia, Washington 98501, USA 4Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, Oregon 97365, USA *Corresponding author: dgendron@ipn.mx ABSTRACT: During the last 3 decades, tagging technology has been used to study different aspects of cetacean ecology. Tags implanted in animal’s blubber, muscle and surrounding tissue have produced successful results, providing information on long-term movements. However, apart from the reports of ‘divots’ (depressions) and swelling at the tag sites in re-sighted large whales, little has been published about the long-term effects of tagging. Based on sighting history databases of photo-identified blue whales, we monitored the wound site of a satellite tag on an adult female blue whale over a period of 16 yr (1995 to 2011). This report describes the swelling reaction to a broken subdermal attachment from a tag designed early in the evolution of large whale tagging. The tag attachment remained embedded for a decade (much longer than expected), and may have affected the female’s reproductive success during this period. The whale’s calving history showed a total of 3 calves; 2 were prior to, and one ocurred after, the swelling period (1999 to 2007). We demonstrate the value of long-term monitoring programs in evaluating tag impacts, especially on endangered species. KEY WORDS: Satellite tag · Long-term effect · Monitoring · Calving interval · Blue whale Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Gendron D, Martinez Serrano I, Ugalde de la Cruz A, Calambokidis J, Mate B (2015) Long-term individual sighting history database: an effective tool to monitor satellite tag effects on cetaceans. Endang Species Res 26:235-241. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00644 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 26, No. 3. Online publication date: January 22, 2015 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2015 Inter-Research.
Highlights
For more than 3 decades, radio- and satellite-tagging technology has been used to track movements, diving, acoustic and foraging behaviors of whales (Mate & Harvey 1983, Watkins & Tyack 1991, Goodyear 1993, Croll et al 1998, Zerbini et al 2006, Heide-Jørgensen et al 2006, Davis et al 2007, Garrigue et al 2010, Kennedy et al 2013)
A configuration of the surface-mounted satellite tag used on the monitored whale (2 sub-dermal attachments, each consisting of cast bronze temple toggles mounted to stainless steel posts holding the tag to the whale’s back), as well as a description of the tagging procedures are provided in Mate et al (2007)
The most likely nature of the swelling documented in this study was a granuloma, which was both larger and longer-lasting than has generally been described as a reaction to other implantable tags. This was likely caused by the presence of a broken submounted housing with 2 sub-dermal attachments, one of which broke on impact
Summary
For more than 3 decades, radio- and satellite-tagging technology has been used to track movements, diving, acoustic and foraging behaviors of whales (Mate & Harvey 1983, Watkins & Tyack 1991, Goodyear 1993, Croll et al 1998, Zerbini et al 2006, Heide-Jørgensen et al 2006, Davis et al 2007, Garrigue et al 2010, Kennedy et al 2013). In the North Pacific, at least 180 tags have been implanted in blue whales Information gathered from these tagged blue whales has contributed to a better understanding of their migration patterns (Mate et al 1999) and habitat uses (Bailey et al 2009), as well as promoting conservation areas for this endangered species (Etnoyer et al 2004). The scope of these large-scale studies (Block et al 2011) and the availability of these tags in the market have rapidly raised an interest in tagging research on smaller cetaceans. These new approaches emphasize the need to better understand the long-term effects of tagging, especially if non-adult individuals or smaller species are to be targeted in future studies
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