Influences of underwater bottom topography and geomorphology on minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) distribution in the Mingan Islands (Canada)

Marie-José Naud; Bernard Long; Jean-Claude Brêthes; Richard Sears

doi:10.1017/S0025315403008002h

Abstract

Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) distribution was derived from a 12 year observation programme in the Mingan Islands (Canada) and related to three geological features of the sea-floor: maximum depth, topography and geomorphology. Minke whale distribution was not uniform nor random in relation to maximum depth and topography, however, no evident trend was found. The most prominent factor was the presence of underwater sand dunes, where significantly more minke whales were observed than on any other bottom types. Because sand dunes are the favoured habitat of the minke whale major prey in the study area, an indirect link between minke whale distribution, geomorphology and substrate type is suggested.

Crossref Citations

This article has been cited by the following publications. This list is generated based on data provided by Crossref.

Garaffo, Griselda V. Dans, Silvana L. Pedraza, Susana N. Crespo, Enrique A. and Degrati, Mariana 2007. Habitat use by dusky dolphin in patagonia: how predictable is their location?. Marine Biology, Vol. 152, Issue. 1, p. 165.

Tetley, M.J. Mitchelson-Jacob, E.G. and Robinson, K.P. 2008. The summer distribution of coastal minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the southern outer Moray Firth, NE Scotland, in relation to co-occurring mesoscale oceanographic features. Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 112, Issue. 8, p. 3449.

Robinson, Kevin P. Tetley, Michael J. and Mitchelson-Jacob, E. Gay 2009. The distribution and habitat preference of coastally occurring minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the outer southern Moray Firth, northeast Scotland. Journal of Coastal Conservation, Vol. 13, Issue. 1, p. 39.

Kot, Brian W. Ramp, Christian and Sears, Richard 2009. Decreased feeding ability of a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) with entanglement‐like injuries. Marine Mammal Science, Vol. 25, Issue. 3, p. 706.

Haynes, Trevor B. and Robinson, Clifford L. K. 2011. Re-use of shallow sediment patches by Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) in Barkley Sound, British Columbia, Canada. Environmental Biology of Fishes, Vol. 92, Issue. 1, p. 1.

Gilkinson, Andrea K. Finerty, Shannon E. Weltz, Frederick Dellapenna, Timothy M. and Davis, Randall W. 2011. Habitat associations of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in a soft- and mixed-sediment benthos in Alaska. Journal of Mammalogy, Vol. 92, Issue. 6, p. 1278.

Cubero‐Pardo, Priscilla Donovan, Carl and Urbán‐Ramírez, Jorge 2011. A proposal to define vulnerability of cetacean areas to human development: variables and analysis procedures applied to the Gulf of California. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, Vol. 21, Issue. 5, p. 433.

Kot, Brian W. Sears, Richard Anis, Ayal Nowacek, Douglas P. Gedamke, Jason and Marshall, Christopher D. 2012. Behavioral responses of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) to experimental fishing gear in a coastal environment. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, Vol. 413, Issue. , p. 13.

Risch, Denise Castellote, Manuel Clark, Christopher W Davis, Genevieve E Dugan, Peter J Hodge, Lynne EW Kumar, Anurag Lucke, Klaus Mellinger, David K Nieukirk, Sharon L Popescu, Cristian Marian Ramp, Christian Read, Andrew J Rice, Aaron N Silva, Monica A Siebert, Ursula Stafford, Kathleen M Verdaat, Hans and Van Parijs, Sofie M 2014. Seasonal migrations of North Atlantic minke whales: novel insights from large-scale passive acoustic monitoring networks. Movement Ecology, Vol. 2, Issue. 1,

Breen, Patricia Brown, Susie Reid, David and Rogan, Emer 2016. Modelling cetacean distribution and mapping overlap with fisheries in the northeast Atlantic. Ocean & Coastal Management, Vol. 134, Issue. , p. 140.

Albrecht, Sofia Jung, Jean-Luc Lazar, Laura Bathie, Marguerite Lémery-Peissik, Delphine and Rasmussen, Marianne Helene 2021. Local movements and site-tenacity of minke whale in Iceland in relation to feeding and a northward distribution shift. Marine Biology Research, Vol. 17, Issue. 7-8, p. 744.

Sahri, Achmad Herwata Putra, Mochamad Iqbal Kusuma Mustika, Putu Liza Kreb, Danielle and Murk, Albertinka J. 2021. Cetacean habitat modelling to inform conservation management, marine spatial planning, and as a basis for anthropogenic threat mitigation in Indonesia. Ocean & Coastal Management, Vol. 205, Issue. , p. 105555.

Madon, Bénédicte Le Guyader, Damien Jung, Jean-Luc De Montgolfier, Benjamin Lopez, Pascal Jean Foulquier, Eric Bouveret, Laurent and Le Berre, Iwan 2022. Pairing AIS data and underwater topography to assess maritime traffic pressures on cetaceans: Case study in the Guadeloupean waters of the Agoa sanctuary. Marine Policy, Vol. 143, Issue. , p. 105160.

Robinson, Kevin P. MacDougall, Duncan A. I. Bamford, Connor C. G. Brown, William J. Dolan, Ciaran J. Hall, Rebecca Haskins, Gary N. Russell, Grace Sidiropoulos, Theofilos Sim, Texa M. C. Spinou, Evgenia Stroud, Elice Williams, Genevieve Culloch, Ross M. and Carbonara, Pierluigi 2023. Ecological habitat partitioning and feeding specialisations of coastal minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) using a recently designated MPA in northeast Scotland. PLOS ONE, Vol. 18, Issue. 7, p. e0246617.

Kowarski, Katie A. Martin, S. Bruce Maxner, Emily E. Lawrence, Carmen B. Delarue, Julien J.‐Y. and Miksis‐Olds, Jennifer L. 2023. Cetacean acoustic occurrence on the US Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf from 2017 to 2020. Marine Mammal Science, Vol. 39, Issue. 1, p. 175.

Lachance, Tessa Campbell, Jane and Turnbull, Stephen 2023. Daytime Surface Sightings and the Distribution of Finback (Balaenoptera physalus), Minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and Humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) Whales in the Quoddy Region of the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Northeastern Naturalist, Vol. 30, Issue. 2,

Rayner, Jessica Embling, Clare B. Ryan, Conor and Hartny-Mills, Lauren 2024. Minke whale entanglement in static fishing gear: identifying consistent areas of high risk in Western Scotland. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, Vol. 104, Issue. ,

Article contents

Influences of underwater bottom topography and geomorphology on minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) distribution in the Mingan Islands (Canada)

Abstract

Access options

This article has been cited by the following publications. This list is generated based on data provided by Crossref.

Article contents

Influences of underwater bottom topography and geomorphology on minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) distribution in the Mingan Islands (Canada)

Abstract

Access options

Save article to Kindle

Save article to Dropbox

Save article to Google Drive

Reply to: Submit a response

Your details

You have entered the maximum number of contributors

Conflicting interests