Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T15:24:50.534Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An assessment of the natural marking patterns used for photo-identification of common minke whales and white-beaked dolphins in Icelandic waters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2015

Chiara G. Bertulli ,
Marianne H. Rasmussen  and
Massimiliano Rosso
Chiara G. Bertulli*
Affiliation:
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland
Marianne H. Rasmussen
Affiliation:
Húsavík Research Centre, University of Iceland, Hafnarstétt, 640 Húsavík, Iceland
Massimiliano Rosso
Affiliation:
CIMA Research Foundation, via Magliotto 2, 17100 Savona, Italy
*
Correspondence should be addressed to:C.G. Bertulli, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland email: ciarabertulli@yahoo.it
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Natural marks occurring in cetaceans are used to measure population parameters, social structure and movements. However, the changeable nature of these marks can originate bias in these estimates. The aim of this work was to calculate abundance and prevalence of 28 mark types observed in common minke whales and white-beaked dolphins photographed in Icelandic waters for 11 years (2002–2013) in order to identify reliable markings which could be suitable for capture-mark-recapture studies. In the common minke whale subsample the most prevalent occurring marks were cookie-cutter shark bite, notch and lamprey bite, and herpes-like lesions and blisters were the most abundant. White-beaked dolphins had notch, fin patches and fine scrape as the most prevalent, and black mark and fine scrape were the most abundant. Loss and gain rates were also estimated resulting in eight mark types with no losses in common minke whales including fin outline and injury marks. In white-beaked dolphins there were 13 mark types with null loss rate among which there were notch, distinct notch and amputation. Our findings confirm that fin and injury marks are among the most accurate features to use for capture-mark-recapture studies as noted for other cetacean species. We also suggest including cookie-cutter shark bites for common minke whales and fin patches for white-beaked dolphins due to their low loss rate. These two mark types were amongst the most prevalent in both species, so their addition will be pivotal in increasing the power of analysis conducted using photo-identification data obtaining more accurate population estimates.

Keywords

natural markphoto-identificationcommon minke whaleBalaenoptera acutorostratawhite-beaked dolphinLagenorhynchus albirostrismark rate
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 96 , Issue 4: Marine Mammals , June 2016 , pp. 807 - 819
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agler, B.A. (1992) Photographic identification of individual fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus in the Gulf of Maine. MSc thesis. University of Maine, Orono, ME.Google Scholar
Agler, B.A., Beard, J.A., Bowman, R.S., Corbett, H.D., Frohock, S.E., Hawvermale, M.P., Katona, S.K., Sadove, S.S. and Seipt, I.E. (1990) Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) photographic identification: methodology and preliminary results from the western North Atlantic. In Hammond, P.S. and Donovan, G.P. (eds) Individual recognition of cetaceans; the use of photographic identification and other techniques to estimate population parameters. Report of the International Whaling Commission Special Issue 12. Cambridge: International Whaling Commission, pp. 349–356.Google Scholar
Anderwald, P. (2009) Population genetics and behavioural ecology of North Atlantic minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). PhD thesis. University of Durham, Durham.Google Scholar
Arnold, P.W., Birtles, R.A., Dunstan, A., Lukoschek, V. and Matthews, M. (2005) Colour patterns of the dwarf minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata sensu lato: description, cladistic analysis and taxonomic implications. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 51, 277–307.Google Scholar
Astþórsson, O.S. and Pálsson, J. (2006) New fish records and records of rare southern fish species in Icelandic waters in the warm period 1996–2005. Paper ICES CM 2006/C:20 presented to the ICES Annual Science Conference, 1–22 pp.Google Scholar
Auger-Méthé, M., Marcoux, M. and Whitehead, H. (2010) Nicks and notches of the dorsal ridge: promising mark types for the photo-identification of narwhals. Marine Mammal Science 26, 663–678.Google Scholar
Auger-Méthé, M. and Whitehead, H. (2007) The use of natural markings in studies of long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas). Marine Mammal Science 23, 77–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bearzi, G., Bonizzoni, S. and Gonzalvo, J. (2010) Mid-distance movements of common bottlenose dolphins in the coastal waters of Greece. Journal of Ethology 29, 369–374.Google Scholar
Bertulli, C.G., Cecchetti, A., Van Bressem, M.F. and Van Waerebeek, K. (2012) Skin disorders in common minke whales and white-beaked dolphins off Iceland, a photographic assessment. Journal of Marine Animals and their Ecology 5, 29–40.Google Scholar
Bertulli, C.G., Rasmussen, M.H. and Tetley, M.J. (2013) Photo-identification rate and wide scale movement of common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the coastal waters of Faxaflói and Skjálfandi Bays, Iceland. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 13, 39–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bertulli, C.G., Tetley, M.J., Magnúsdóttir, E. and Rasmussen, M.H. (in press) Observations of movement and site fidelity of white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) in Icelandic coastal waters using photo-identification. Journal of Cetacean and Research Management.Google Scholar
Blackmer, A.L., Anderson, S.K. and Weinrich, M.T. (2000) Temporal variability in features used to photo-identify humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Marine Mammal Science 16, 338–354.Google Scholar
Brereton, T., Lewis, K. and MacLeod, C. (2013) Lyme Bay: a recently discovered hotspot for white-beaked dolphins in the English Channel. Proceedings of the ECS/ASCOBANS/WDC Workshop Towards a Conservation Strategy for White-beaked Dolphins in the Northeast Atlantic. The Casa da Baía, Setúbal, Portugal, 6 April 2013. ECS Special Publication Series no. 53, pp. 39–59.Google Scholar
Burdett Hart, L., Wells, R.S., Adams, J.D., Rotstein, D.S. and Schwacke, L.H. (2010) Modeling lacaziosis lesion progression in common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus using long-term photographic records. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 90, 105–112.Google Scholar
Craighead, G.J., Philo, L.M., Hazard, K., Withrow, D., Carroll, G.M. and Suydam, R. (1994) Frequency of killer whale (Orcinus orca) attacks and ship collisions based on scarring on bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas Stock. Arctic 47, 247–255.Google Scholar
Dorsey, E.M. (1983) Exclusive adjoining ranges in individually identified minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Washington state. Canadian Journal of Zoology 61, 174–181.Google Scholar
Dorsey, E.M., Stern, J.S., Hoelzel, A.R. and Jacobsen, J. (1990) Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from the west coast of North America: individual recognition and small-scale site fidelity. Report of the International Whaling Commission (Special Issue) 12, 357–368.Google Scholar
Dufault, S. and Whitehead, H. (1993) Assessing the stock identity of sperm whales in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific. Report of the International Whaling Commission 43, 469–475.Google Scholar
Dufault, S. and Whitehead, H. (1995) An assessment of changes with time in the marking patterns used for photo-identification of individual sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus. Marine Mammal Science 11, 335–343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durban, J., Ellifrit, D., Dahlheim, M., Waite, J., Matkin, C., Barrett-Lennard, L., Ellis, G., Pitman, R., LeDuc, R. and Wade, P. (2012) Photographic mark-recapture analysis of clustered mammal-eating killer whales around the Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska. Marine Biology 157, 1591–1604.Google Scholar
Dwyer, S.L., Kozmian-Ledward, L. and Stockin, K.A. (2014) Short-term survival of severe propeller strike injuries and observations on wound progression in a bottlenose dolphin. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 48, 294–302.Google Scholar
Elwen, S.H., Reeb, D., Thornton, M. and Best, P. (2009) A population estimate of Heaviside's dolphins, Cephalorhynchus heavisidii, at the southern end of their range. Marine Mammal Science 25, 107–124.Google Scholar
Fearnbach, D.J.W., Ellifrit, D.K. and Balcom, K.C. III (2011) Size and long-term growth trends of endangered fish-eating killer whales. Endangered Species Research 13, 173–180.Google Scholar
Gerasimyuk, V.P. and Zinchenko, V.L. (2012) Diatom fouling of the little picked whales in the Antarctic waters. Hydrobiological Journal 48, 28–34.Google Scholar
Gero, S., Bejder, L., Whitehead, H., Mann, J. and Connor, R.C. (2005) Behaviourally specific preferred associations in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops spp. Canadian Journal of Zoology 83, 1566–1573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gill, A., Fairbairns, B. and Fairbairns, R. (2000) Photo-identification of the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) around the Isle of Mull, Scotland. Report to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, 88 pp.Google Scholar
Gomez-Salazar, C., Trujillo, F. and Whitehead, H. (2011) Photo-identification: a reliable and noninvasive tool for studying pink river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis). Aquatic Mammals 37, 472–485.Google Scholar
Gowans, S. and Whitehead, H. (2001) Photographic identification of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus): sources of heterogeneity from natural marks. Marine Mammal Science 17, 76–93.Google Scholar
Haelters, J. and Everhaart, E. (2011) Two cases of physical interaction between white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) and juvenile harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the Southern North Sea. Aquatic Mammals 37, 198–201.Google Scholar
Hammond, P.S. (1986) Estimating the size of naturally marked whale populations using capture-recapture techniques. Report of the International Whaling Commission (Special Issue) 8, 253–282.Google Scholar
Hammond, P.S. (1990) Capturing whales on film-estimating cetacean population parameters from individual recognition data. Mammal Review 20, 17–22.Google Scholar
Hardisty, M.W. and Potter, I.C. (1971) The general biology of adult lampreys. In Hardisty, M.W. and Potter, I.C. (eds) The biology of lampreys. London: Academic Press, pp. 127–206.Google Scholar
Higdon, J.W. and Snow, D. (2009) First record of a collapsed dorsal fin in a white-beaked dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris, with a gunshot wound as a possible cause. Canadian Field-Naturalist 122, 262–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jónsson, B. and Jóhannson, M. (2008) Research on settlement of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in Iceland [Rannsóknir á landnámi sæsteinsuga (Petromyzon marinus) á Íslandi]. Report VMST/08019, Institute of Freshwater Fisheries, Iceland, 11 pp.Google Scholar
Joyce, G.G. and Dorsey, E.M. (1990) A feasibility study on the use of photo-identification techniques for southern hemisphere minke whale stock assessment. In Hammond, P.S., Mizroch, S.A. and Donovan, G.P. (eds) Individual recognition of cetaceans: use of photo-identification and other techniques to estimate population parameters. Report of the International Whaling Commission Special Issue 12. Cambridge: International Whaling Commission, pp. 419–423.Google Scholar
Keener, B., Szczepaniak, I.Ü.A., Webber, M. and Stern, J. (2011) First records of anomalously white harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from the Pacific Ocean. Journal of Marine Animals and their Ecology 4, 19–24.Google Scholar
Krzyszczyk, E. and Mann, J. (2012) Why become speckled? Ontogeny and function of speckling in Shark Bay bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.). Marine Mammal Science 28, 295–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lillie, D.G. (1915) Cetacea. British Antarctic (‘Terra Nova’) expedition, 1910. Natural History Reports, Zoology 1, 85–125.Google Scholar
Lockyer, C.H. and Morris, R.J. (1990) Some observations on wound healing and persistence of scars in Tursiops truncatus. Report of the International Whaling Commission (Special Issue) 12, 113–118.Google Scholar
Lodi, L. and Borobia, M. (2013) Anomalous colouration in an Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) from Southeastern Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Aquatic Science and Technology 17, 1–3.Google Scholar
Luksenburg, J.A. (2014) Prevalence of external injuries in small cetaceans in Aruban Waters, Southern Caribbean. PLoS ONE 9, e88988.Google Scholar
Mackintosh, N.A. and Wheeler, J.F.G. (1929) Southern blue and fin whales. Discovery Reports 1, 257–540.Google Scholar
Maldini, D., Riggin, J., Cecchetti, A. and Cotter, M.P. (2010) Prevalence of epidermal conditions in California coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Monterey Bay. Ambio 9, 455–462.Google Scholar
Mansur, R.M., Strindberg, S. and Smith, B.D. (2012) Mark-resight abundance and survival estimation of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops aduncus, in the Swatch-of-No-Ground, Bangladesh. Marine Mammal Science 28, 561–578.Google Scholar
Marcoux, M. (2008) Social behaviour, vocalization and conservation of narwhals. Arctic 61, 456–460.Google Scholar
Marley, S.A., Cheney, B. and Thompson, P.M. (2013) Using tooth-rakes to monitor population and sex differences in aggressive behaviour in bottlenose bolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Aquatic Mammals 39, 107–115.Google Scholar
McAlpine, D.F. (2009) Pygmy and dwarf sperm whales. In Perrin, W.F., Würsig, B. and Thewissen, J.G.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of marine mammals. 2nd edition. Amsterdam: Academic Press, pp. 936–938.Google Scholar
McCann, C. (1974) Body scarring on cetacea – odontocetes. Scientific Reports of the Whale Research Institute 26, 145–155.Google Scholar
McCordic, J., Todd, S.K. and Stevick, P.T. (2014) Differential rates of killer whale (Orcinus orca) attacks on humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the North Atlantic as determined by scarification. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 94, 1311–1315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mead, J.G., Walker, W.A. and Houck, W.J. (1982) Biological observations on Mesoplodon carlhubbsi (Cetacea: Ziphiidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 344, 1–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, E. (1970) Pigmentation pattern evolution in delphinid cetaceans: an essay in adaptive coloration. Canadian Journal of Zoology 48, 717–740.Google Scholar
Moore, M., Steiner, L. and Jann, B. (2003) Cetacean surveys in the Cape Verde Islands and the use of cookie-cutter shark bite lesions as a population marker for fin whales. Aquatic Mammals 29, 383–389.Google Scholar
Nichols, O.C. and Tscherter, U. (2011) Feeding of sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus on minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata in the St Lawrence Estuary, Canada. Journal of Fish Biology 78, 338–343.Google Scholar
Nicholson, K., Bejder, L., Allen, S.J., Krutzen, M. and Polock, K.H. (2012) Abundance, survival and temporary emigration of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) off Useless Loop in the western gulf of Shark Bay, Western Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 63, 1059–1068.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Brien, J.M., Berrow, S.D., Ryan, C., McGrath, D., O'Conner, I., Pesante, G., Burrows, G., Massett, N., Klötzen, V. and Whooley, P. (2009) A note on long-distance matches of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) around the Irish coast using photo-identification. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 11, 69–74.Google Scholar
Ólafsdóttir, D. and Shinn, A.P. (2013) Epibiotic macrofauna on common minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804, in Icelandic waters. Parasites and Vectors 6, 105.Google Scholar
Parra, G., Corkeron, P.J. and Arnold, P. (2011) Grouping and fission-fusion dynamics in Australian snubfin and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. Animal Behaviour 82, 1423–1433.Google Scholar
Pike, G.C. (1951) Lamprey marks on whales. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 8, 275–280.Google Scholar
Robinson, K.P., O'Brien, J.M., Berrow, S.D., Cheney, B., Costa, M., Eisfeld, S.M., Haberlin, D., Mandleberg, L., O’Donovan, M., Oudejans, M.G., Ryan, C., Stevick, P.T., Thompson, P.M. and Whooley, P. (2012) Discrete or not so discrete: long distance movements by coastal bottlenose dolphins in UK and Irish waters. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 12, 365–371.Google Scholar
Robinson, K.P., Stevick, P.T. and MacLeod, C.D. (2007) Introduction. In Robinson, K.P., Stevick, P.T. and MacLeod, C.D. (eds) An integrated approach to non-lethal research on minke whales, Proceedings of the workshop Donostia, San Sebastián, Spain, 22 April 2007. ECS Special Series no. 47. San Sebastian: European Cetacean Society, p. 6.Google Scholar
Ross, H.M. and Wilson, B. (1996) Violent interactions between bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 263, 283–286. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1996.0043.Google Scholar
Rosso, M., Ballardini, M., Moulins, A. and Würtz, M. (2011) Natural markings of Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris in the Mediterranean Sea. African Journal of Marine Science 33, 45–57.Google Scholar
Rosso, M., Moulins, A. and Würtz, M. (2008) Colour patterns and pigmentation variability on striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba in north-western Mediterranean Sea. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 88, 1211–1219.Google Scholar
Samarra, I.P.F., Fennell, A., Deecke, F.B. and Miller, J.O. (2012) Persistence of skin marks on killer whales (Orcinus orca) caused by the parasitic sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in Iceland. Marine Mammal Science 28, 395–409.Google Scholar
Sanino, G.P., Van Bressem, M.F., Van Waerebeek, K. and Pozo, N. (2014) Skin disorders of coastal dolphins at Añihué reserve, Chilean Patagonia: a matter of concern. Boletín del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Chile 63, 127–157.Google Scholar
Schaeff, C.M. and Hamilton, P.K. (1999) Genetic basis and evolutionary significance of ventral skin color markings in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Marine Mammal Science 15, 701–711.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, E.M., Mann, J., Watson-Capps, J.J., Sargeant, B.L. and Connor, R.R. (2005) Aggression in bottlenose dolphins: evidence for sexual coercion, male-male competition, and female tolerance through analysis of tooth-rake marks and behaviour. Behaviour 142, 21–44.Google Scholar
Scott, M.D., Wells, R.S., Irvine, A.B. and Mate, B.R. (1990) Tagging and mark studies on small cetaceans. In Leatherwood, S. and Reeves, R.R. (eds) The bottlenose dolphins. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 489–514.Google Scholar
Sears, R., Williamson, J.M., Wenzel, F.W., Bérubé, M., Gendron, D. and Jones, P. (1990) Photographic identification of the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. Report to the International Whaling Commission (Special Issue) 12, 335–342.Google Scholar
Shetter, D.S. (1949) A brief history of the sea lamprey problem in Michigan waters. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 76, 160–176.Google Scholar
Slooten, E., Dawson, S.M. and Lad, F. (1992) Survival rates of photographically identified Hector's dolphins from 1984 to 1988. Marine Mammal Science 8, 327–343.Google Scholar
Slooten, E., Dawson, S.M. and Whitehead, H. (1993) Associations among photographically identified Hector's dolphins. Canadian Journal of Zoology 71, 2311–2318.Google Scholar
Stern, J.S., Dorsey, E.M. and Case, V.L. (1990) Photographic catchability of individually identified minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) of the San Juan Islands, Washington and the Monterey Bay Area, California. Report of the International Whaling Commission (Special Issue) 12, 127–133.Google Scholar
Tetley, M. J. and Dolman, S. J. (2013) Towards a conservation strategy for white-beaked dolphins in the Northeast Atlantic. Proceedings of the ECS/ASCOBANS/WDC Workshop, The Casa da Baía, Setúbal, Portugal, 6 April 2013. ECS Special Series no. 53. San Sebastian: European Cetacean Society, pp. 1–121.Google Scholar
Tscherter, U. and Morris, C. (2005) Identifying a majority of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the St. Lawrence based on the presence of dorsal fin edge marks. Poster presentation, 19th European Cetacean Society Conference, La Rochelle, France, 2–7 April 2005.Google Scholar
Tsutsui, S., Tanaka, M., Miyazaki, N. and Furuya, T. (2001) Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) with anomalous colour patterns in Volcano Bay, Hokkaido, Japan. Aquatic Mammals 27, 172–182.Google Scholar
Van Bressem, M.F., Gaspar, R. and Aznar, F.J. (2003) Epidemiology of tattoo skin disease in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the Sado estuary, Portugal. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 56, 171–179.Google Scholar
Van Waerebeek, K., Baker, A.N., Felix, F., Gedamke, J., Iniguez, M., Sanino, G.P., Secchi, E., Sutaria, D., van Helden, A. and Wang, Y. (2007) Vessel collisions with small cetaceans worldwide and with large whales in the southern hemisphere, an initial assessment. Latin America Journal of Aquatic Mammals 6, 43–69.Google Scholar
Visser, I.N. (1999) Prolific body scars and collapsing dorsal fins on killer whales in New Zealand waters. Aquatic Mammals 24, 71–81.Google Scholar
Wang, J.Y., Hung, S.K., Yang, S.C., Jefferson, T.A. and Secchi, E.R. (2008) Population differences in the pigmentation of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Sousa chinensis, in Chinese waters. Mammalia 72, 302–308.Google Scholar
Webber, M.A. (1987) A comparison of dusky dolphins and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Genus Lagenorhynchus): morphology and distribution. MSc thesis. San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA.Google Scholar
West, P.M. and Packer, C. (2002) Sexual selection, temperature, and the lion's mane. Science 297, 1339–1343.Google Scholar
Wilson, B., Hammond, P.S. and Thompson, P.M. (1999) Estimating size and assessing trends in a coastal dolphin population. Ecological Associations 9, 288–300.Google Scholar
Würsig, B. and Jefferson, T.A. (1990) Methods of photoidentification for small cetaceans. Reports of the International Whaling Commission (Special Issue) 12, 43–52.Google Scholar
Würsig, B. and Würsig, M. (1977) Photographic determination of group size, composition and stability of coastal porpoises (Tursiops truncatus). Science 198, 755–756.Google Scholar