Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecology Study (BOWFEST) in the Western Beaufort Sea. Annual Report, 2011.

摘要

The Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecology Study (BOWFEST) was initiated in May 2007 through an Interagency Agreement between the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the National Marine Mammal Lab (NMML). The study is being conducted through grants and contracts to scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), University of Rhode Island (URI), University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), University of Washington (UW), Oregon State University (OSU), as well as through employees at NMML. Field work is being coordinated with the North Slope Borough (NSB), Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC), Barrow Whaling Captains' Association (BWCA), Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), and BOEMRE. Marine mammal studies are as permitted under NMMLs Permit No 782-1719. This study focused on late summer oceanography and prey densities relative to bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) distribution over continental shelf waters between the coast and 72 degrees N and between 152 degrees-157 degrees W, which is north and east of Point Barrow, Alaska. Aerial surveys and acoustic monitoring provided information on the spatial and temporal distribution of bowhead whales in the study area. Oceanographic sampling helped identify sources of zooplankton prey available to whales on the continental shelf and the association of this prey with physical (hydrography, currents) characteristics which may affect mechanisms of plankton aggregation. Prey distribution will be better understood by examining temporal and spatial scales of the hydrographic and velocity fields in the study area, particularly relative to frontal features. Results of this research program may help explain increased occurrences of bowhead whales feeding in the Western Beaufort Sea (U.S. waters), well west of the typical summer feeding aggregations in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Understanding bowhead whale behavior and distribution is necessary to minimize potential impacts from petroleum development activities.