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KaylaMorrisMarineBiology115

WHALES(THREATSANDCONSERVATION)

There are two suborders in the Cetacean family—baleen whales and toothed whales. Baleen whales are both the largest whales and the largest animals on planet earth. They are characterized by their baleen plates and by their unique way of feeding—filter feeding. Baleen whales spend the majority of the summer months stocking up on food for their long migrating season during the winter months. During these winter months they migrate to the feeding and mating grounds. Most female baleen whales birth only one calf. Baleen whales play a huge role on the ecosystem. Their poop serves as a nutrient to the marine environment and their carcass provides habitat to many bottom dwelling creatures. Baleen whales suffer from many threats—entanglement, ship strikes, whaling, etc. Corporations, like the IWC, has taken many steps in order to conserve the whale species.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Human activities are the greatest cause of whale threats. Whales have been known to become caught in commercial fishing gear through by-catch. This commercial fishing gear is capable of slowing whales down and causes whales to lose their strength. The types of nets these whales are being entangled with ranges between driftnets, gillnets, weirs, traps, long-lines, trawls, etc. Most entanglements happen through the entanglement around the whale’s mouth, tail stock, or pectoral flippers. Whales can sometimes develop infection or deformation of their body if the entanglement of line cuts deeply into their body. Being entangled in this fishing gear can even prevent whales from being able to feed causing them to starve and die. Humpback whales have been known to be the greatest victim of entanglement. The problem of entanglement often goes unnoticed because these incidents are often unreported or undiscovered. Whaling is defined as the practice or industry of hunting and killing whales for their oil, meat, or whalebone (Google). Whaling began as early as 6000 B.C. It started with the Stone Age People, then the Native Americans, then people of the Arctics, then Basques, then Europeans, and then Americans eventually dominated worldwide whaling. Many whales were harpooned from small, open boats. The first whale to become seriously depleted was the right whale. Soon after the right, the blue and fin whales became the targets of whaling. Commercial whaling was so critical that it brought many species of whales into the endangered categories. Commercial whaling has been banned, yet Japan, Norway, and Iceland kill about 1500 whales every year. Whales also experience threats from ship strikes—the collision between whales and vessels. Mostly only large whales are affected by ship strikes, but smaller whales can still be at risk. Threats from ship strikes are difficult to resolve and prevent because they often go unnoticed. Whales also suffer from threats from climate change. Most whales depend on krill and fish as their food supply and as ocean temperature fluctuates it can have an affect on the population of these preys, which in effect has an affect on the whales. Climate change also alters prey distribution through the movement of ocean currents. Oil and gas development as well as shipping activity cause noise that affects the hearing of whales. The damage the noise does on the whales is capable of disrupting their migratory paths and can prevent them from going to feeding and breeding grounds.

THREATS

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is the global body charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling. This organization currently has 88 member governments. The governments are from countries all around the world. Their main focus is the prevention of whaling. All 88 countries have signed the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. Although their main focus is whaling, they also focus on protecting whales from the threat of ship strikes, entanglement, climate change, marine debris, and other environmental issues. The IWC has many events and workshops built to help increase the knowledge of how to conserve the whale community. In the 64th annual meeting of the IWC, the United States discussed a variety of programs that could help protect the whale community, some of which include: •  Whale approach regulations and ship speed restrictions; •  Traffic separation schemes; •  Data base to track whale watching; •  WhaleALERT mobile application for mariners to help reduce risk of ship and whale

collisions; •  Global partnership to look at marine debris impacts to whales; •  Scientific workshop to look at marine debris impacts to whales; •  Continued training of Argentina and Brazil in disentanglement response; •  Acoustic studies looking at how human-made noise affects whale (We Need Your Help!, 2012 ) The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has had a huge impact in the conservation of whales. Dr. Charles Townshed, as well as the New York Zoological Society, recorded the first detailed log of major feeding and breeding groups where whalers targeted their efforts. These documented logs are still used today by the International Whaling Commission. The Wildlife Conservation Society states, “The first step to creating comprehensive protection plans for the different whale species is to figure out how much variation there is between populations and determine what areas, particularly breeding and feeding grounds, are most important to their protection” (Whales, 2017). The WCS is taking this first step all throughout the world. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has also taken steps into preserving whales. The WWF works with the International Whaling Commission to make reducing the threats to whales more effective. The WWF helps with the stranding of whales. In the Philippines they offer various workshops to residents. These workshops cover the necessities and techniques of rescuing these whales that become stranded. The WWF both protects and documents migration routes, feeding grounds, and breeding grounds of whales. They set up whale sanctuaries and help shift shipping lanes to prevent shipping strikes. One of WWF’s main goals is to spread the word of the importance of protecting and saving whales. They accomplish this goal by creating a variety of opportunities for local communities to get involved with whale conservations.

CONSERVATIONEFFORTS

BREEDINGSexual maturity in baleen whales can range anywhere between 4 and 11 years. The range is dependent upon the species. Mating and birthing seasons are dependent on the whale’s migration cycle. Most baleen whales mate during the winter season in low latitude calving areas. Female baleen whales usually have one period of sexual receptivity per year. Male baleen whales have a seasonal reproductive cycle which is active during the winter months. When the breeding behavior includes several males to one female it usually involves gray, right and bowhead whales. The female can choose to mate with one of the males (usually the most aggressive) or she can choose to flee the mating area. A female in one of these specific species is able to mate with more than one male during a single breeding season. When males are seen fighting aggressively with each other to gain access to the female it usually involves either a right or rorqual baleen whale. The winning male mates with the female and the female is able to mate with only him. Throughout winter mating grounds, male humpback whales are known for their “song”. It is unknown whether or not this “song” has anything to do with breeding. According to an article titled, Baleen Whales: Reproduction, “Gestation period for baleen whales ranges from about 10 to almost 14 months, depending on the species” (Entertainment). During the second half of a female’s gestation period her energy needs to increase immensely, this means they increase their food intake by 50 to 60 percent. A pregnant female stores energy, which is needed to produce milk for the calf. After the calf is born, the calf, as well as the mother, remain in the warmer area in order to build strength before returning to the colder waters.

EATINGHABITSAccording to an article titled, Baleen Whales: Diet and Eating Habits, “In general, baleen whales feed low on the food chain, primarily eating zooplankton and small fishes, which they encounter in large swarms or schools”(Baleen Whales: Diet and Eating Habits). Most baleen whales feed through a process called filter feeding. Filter feeding consists of filtering out plankton and various nutrients that are suspended in the water. Baleen whales strain various volumes of water through their baleen plates. As this water is strained, the whales trap the food on their baleen. Using their tongue, they lick the food off their baleen and swallow it. Right whales eat zooplankton by straining the copepods and zooplankton through their baleen. A right whales’ diet consists mostly of zooplankton and copepods. Rorquals usually eat larger prey than right whales. Rorquals mostly eat crustaceans, squids, and schools of fish. The majority of a Blue whale’s diet is krill. Humpback whales eat mostly krill as well. Gray whales get most of their food supply from grazing along the ocean bottom. The majority of baleen whales spend between four and six months feeding in high latitude areas during the summer time. They spend the remaining months traveling and breeding. During the feeding season, baleen whales intake around 4 percent of their body weight each day. The blubber that baleen whales sustain during their feeding months will sustain them during their traveling and breeding months, so baleen whales do not eat much, if at all, during this 6 to 8 month period.

ROLEONTHEECOSYSTEMIn an article titled, Whales as Ecosystem Engineers, it speaks about the role whales have on the ecosystem, it states, “They have a powerful and positive influence on the function of oceans, global carbon storage, and the health of commercial fisheries”(Whales as Ecosystem Engineers, 2014). Whales dive to the depths to feed and then return to the surface to poop. The whale poop provides many nutrients. This feces produces plankton growth. As whales dive to depths and come to the surface to breathe, they mix up the water column. Mixing up the water column distributes microorganisms through different marine zones and also spreads nutrients. The migration of whales has been known to be a “conveyor belt” of nutrients across the ocean. As the whales travel great distances to mate they take with them the many nutrients they inhabit. The placentas of female whales can be a source of feedstock for some marine animals. Scientists have also made a discovery in which they believe that whales actually increase the amount of fish in an area instead of decrease it, which is in oppose to what commercial fisheries have thought. When whales die their carcass sinks to the ocean floor. This carcass stores an incredible amount of carbon in the deep sea. It provides homes for many marine creatures and is also a food source for some marine creatures. Whales are included in the same scientific order as dolphins and porpoises—Order Cetacea.

The Order Cetacea is divided into two suborders—the Odontocetes (toothed whales) and the Mysticetes (baleen whales). We will be focusing on baleen whales. The baleen whales are the toothless whales. Instead of having teeth, they have baleen. Baleens are rows of flexible plates located on the upper jaws of the whale. Baleen is made from the same material as our nails and hair—keratin. Baleen whales are the largest animals that have ever lived on Earth. Some examples of baleen whales includes the Northern right whale, the Humpback whale, the Minke whale, the Bryde’s whale, the Fin whale, the Bowhead whale, the Sei whale, the Blue whale, and the Gray whale. Most baleen whales travel alone or in small groups, but they group up throughout breeding or feeding grounds. A key distinguisher between baleen whales and toothed whales is that baleen whales feed through the process of filter feeding.

Represents the various types of Baleen Whales. (Google Images)

BREEDING

A calf will stay along side its mother for at least a year. The calf is free to go out on its own when it is about 13 meters long. (Watt)

This represents how a baleen whale captures their food supply through filter feeding. (Team, 2016)

Sperm whales returning to the surface to poop. This feces provides many additional nutrients into the ocean atmosphere. (Wu, 2014)

A variety of ocean depth creatures using a whale carcass as both a habitat and a food source. (Rothman, 2010)

A diagram representing an entangled humpback whale. (Providencetown Centre for Coastal Studies) An illustration depicting Japanese politics

on whaling. (Opaca)

REFERENCESEntertainment,S.P.(n.d.).Diet&Ea)ngHabits.RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZps://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/baleen-whales/diet-and-ea/ng-habitsEntertainment,S.P.(n.d.).Reproduc)on.RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZps://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/baleen-whales/reproduc/onOpaca.(n.d.).#whaling|ExplorewhalingonDeviantArt.RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZp://www.deviantart.com/tag/whalingProvincetownCentreforCoastalStudies.(n.d.).RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZp://wildwhales.org/conserva/on/threats/entanglement/Rothman,M.(2010,August17).Mediterraneanwhalefallcommuni)es.RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZp://medwhalefall.wordpress.com/2010/Team,H.I.(2016,October26).Howdobluewhaleseat?RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZp://www.howitworksdaily.com/how-do-blue-whales-eat/WaZ,J.(n.d.).HumpbackandCalf.RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZp://whaleopedia.org/animalfund/baleen-whale/balaenopteridae-introduc/on/humpback-whale/humpback-whale-photo/Weneedyourhelp!(2012,July6).RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZp://www.noaanew.noaa.gov/stories2012/20120706_iwc_release.htmlWhales.(2017).RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZp://www.wcs.org/our-work/species/whalesWhalesasecosystemsengineers.(2014,July3).RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZp://phys.org/news/2014-07-whales-ecosystem.htmlWu,T.(2014,July3).WhalesasEcosystemEngineers.RetrievedMay18,2017,fromhZp://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=news&storyID=18797