“Fat reserves, diet and fecundity of southern hemisphere humpback whales reflect their summer feeding conditions in Antarctica”
‘Eyes’ on 80% of the circum-Antarctic region.
By measuring the sentinel parameters of fat reserves, diet, and fecundity annually, in populations A, D, EI, EII and G, the Program has achieved ~80% coverage of the circum-Antarctic region.
Southern hemisphere humpback whales rely on summer feeding on Antarctic krill, to sustain their winter migration to equatorial breeding grounds for mating and calving. Our Breeding Stock Representatives collect minimally invasive skin and blubber biopsies from each migrating breeding population annually. In these tissues lies an integrated response to summer feeding conditions the preceding summer.
Figure A map of Antarctica showing southern hemisphere humpback whale breeding stocks (A-D) and their associated feeding grounds (I-VI).
Breeding Stock Representatives
East Australia (EI) - Susan Bengtson Nash, Griffith Uni.
Susan Bengtson Nash is the Director of the Southern Ocean persistent Organic Pollutants Program (SOPOPP), within Griffith University’s Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security. The HWSP is the principal surveillance action of SOPOPP. Her scientific focus centres on investigating pollution and climate change impacts in Antarctica, and aligning research with policy needs. Susan led the development of several novel biomarkers that have facilitated implementation of the HWSP. Together with the SOPOPP team, Susan has conducted E1 HWSP field campaigns since 2008.
New Caledonia (EII) - Claire Garrigue, IRD
Claire Garrigue is a Senior Scientist at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) in the UMR ENTROPIE. She has carried out ecological and conservation research on marine mammals over the past thirty years.
The majority of Claire’s work focuses on an IUCN subpopulation of Humpback Whales classified as an endangered population. Her research addresses issues related to population dynamics, connectivity, reproductive behavior, habitat use, migration, and human impact. In order to answer these questions she has applied various tools including demographic, molecular, acoustic and telemetry methods. These complementary methods make it possible to obtain the knowledge necessary for effective management and conservation.
Antarctica (G) - Ari Friedlaender, UC Santa Cruz
Ari Friedlaender is an Associate Researcher at the UC Santa Cruz Institute for Marine Sciences. Ari's research focuses on the foraging ecology and population demography of marine mammals. Specifically, Ari and his colleagues have developed a long-term ecological research program to study both humpback and minke whales around the Antarctic Peninsula. Ari has worked in the region since 2001 utilizing a number of different methodologies including suction cup and satellite tags, passive acoustics, visual surveys, and biopsy sampling.
Colombia (G) - Susana Caballero Gaitan, Universidad de los Andes
Susana Caballero-Gaitan is an Associate Professor at Universidad de los Andes. She is a microbiologist whose research interest has focused on the use of molecular techniques to describe the population structure and evolutionary processes of different groups of aquatic vertebrates, including humpback whales, sharks, ornamental and commercially important fish, marine and riverine turtles, manatees, bottlenose dolphins, Amazon River dolphins and the South American coastal and riverine dolphins, the tucuxi and the Guiana dolphins. The main aim of her research is to guide improved management and conservation of these species.
Colombia (G) - Natalia Botero Acosta, Macuáticos Colombia Foundation
Natalia Botero-Acosta has over 13 years of experience with marine mammals, particularly with humpback whales in the Ecuadorian and Colombian Pacific. Currently, she is the General Director of Macuáticos Colombia Foundation,a non-profit organization from which Natalia has led a monitoring program with humpback whales in the Gulf of Tribugá, northern Colombian Pacific since 2009. Her research interests include behavioral ecology, habitat use and social structure. She has a keen interest in employing molecular and acoustic techniques to study key aspects of cetacean life history. She is an affiliated researcher with the Colombian Antarctic Program (PAC).
Brazil (A) - Milton Marcondes, Instituto Baleia Jubarte
Milton Marcondes (DVM) is the Head of Science at Instituto Baleia Jubarte – Brazil. He has worked since 1997 with humpback whales in Abrolhos Bank, the main humpback whale breeding area in Brazil. His research interest includes marine mammal pathology, effects of climate change on whale populations, alternatives to reduce ship strike and entanglements. Milton is also interested in animal welfare and conservation issues. He is member of the Brazilian delegation at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Strandings (IWC).
West Australia (D) - John Totterdell, Cetacean Research WA
John Totterdell is a cetacean researcher at the Cetacean Research Centre (CETREC) WA. CETREC WA is an active cetacean research group based in the northwest of WA, working off the Ningaloo Coast and in Exmouth Gulf. The WA migrating humpback whale stock (D), is considered to be fully recovered and the largest known. This population provides the main energy source for a group of tropical killer whales where several hundred humpback calves are taken along the NW coast each winter and spring. The recovery of the D population represents the return of a significant prey source and the numbers of killer whales in the Ningaloo region are increasing. The killer whale predation effect on the group D humpback whale population is a main research focus of the group.
