Humpback whales are a large species of baleen whale. During summer they feed in high latitude waters off of Russia and Alaska. During winter, they breed and rear their calves in low latitude waters off of Okinawa and the Philippines. Collaboration between research groups from the Okinawa Churashima Foundation, Pacific Geographical Institute Far-Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow State University, and BALAYENA.ORG (Philippines) has revealed the movements of individual humpback whales between Russia and the North Pacific Ocean (Okinawa, Philippines, Hawaii and Mexico). As a result, about 70% of the 152 whales that were matched between Russia and the North Pacific Ocean breeding grounds, were confirmed in Okinawa and the Philippines. It also clarified that half of the matched individuals were seen in Okinawa. This suggests that the humpback whales that feed in Russia primarily use Asian waters as breeding grounds and the humpback whales that migrates to Okinawa mainly feed in Russian waters.

Authors

Olga V. Titova. Olga A. Filatova, Ivan D. Fedutin, Ekaterina N. Ovsyanikova, Haruna Okabe, Nozomi Kobayashi, Jo Marie V. Acebes, Alexandr M. Burdin and Erich Hoyt
(Bold letters: Staff members of Okinawa Churashima Foundation)

Title of Paper

Enhancing insights into foraging specialization in the world's largest fish using a multi-tissue, multi-isotope approach.

Title of Journal

Photo-identification matches of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from feeding areas in Russian Far East seas and breeding grounds in the North Pacific

Title of Journal

Marine Mammal Science

DOI

http://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12444