Location
SPREP LIBRARY
Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Publication Year:
2015
Publication Place
Australia
Physical Description:
7p. : 29cm.
Call Number
[EL]
Collection
Material Type
Language
English
Record ID:
40370
Legacy PEIN ID:
80429
General Notes
Online only
Available online
Subject Heading(s)
Commercial whaling
Bligh waters
Pacific cetaceans
Whale conservation - Oceania
Protect - Pacific Whales - Humpbacks - Fiji
Abstract
Intensive commercial whaling caused significant declines in Southern Hemisphere humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations. In Fiji, land-based humpback whale surveys undertaken from 1956 to 1958 documented maximum weekly counts of more than 150 humpback whales in parts of the Bligh waters. These records provide an invaluable point of comparison to present-day observations as they occurred immediately prior to very large humpback whale catches in Antarctic waters to the south - and on potential migration - of humpback whales breeding in Fijian waters. We report here on a three-year (2010-2012) land-based survey also conducted in the Bligh waters during which a total of 33 individuals over 480 h were counted from Ovalau Island and 68 individuals over approximately 300 h were observed from Makogai Island. These findings suggest a large decrease in numbers of humpback whales seen in Fiji waters since commercial whaling operations.
Location
SPREP LIBRARY
Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Publication Year:
2015
Publication Place
Australia
Physical Description:
7p. : 29cm.
Call Number
[EL]
Collection
Material Type
Language
English
Record ID:
40370
Legacy PEIN ID:
80429
General Notes
Online only
Record Created: 22-Apr-2016
Record Modified: 22-Jun-2021