Movements of satellite-monitored humpback whales,Megaptera novaeangliae, from the Cook Islands

Abstract

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) undertake extensive seasonal migrations from summer feeding areas in high latitudes to winter mating and calving grounds in tropical waters (Clapham and Mead 1999). In the Southern Hemisphere, seven populations are recognized by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). These breeding stocks are designated by the letters A to G, and they have migratory connections to feeding grounds in the Antarctic (IWC 1998); the latter areas were previously used by the IWC as management units, and were labeled Areas I