Antarctica 2 (Elephant Island)
A comprehensive assessment of a fin whale high density area along the western Antarctic Peninsula
Overview
Status: Completed
Topics: Conservation, Research
Start date: 01/07/2019
End date: 31/03/2025
Parent project: Telemetry Lab
Project website:
Funding institutions: WWF
Target species: Fin whale
Tethys role: Partner
Project leader: University of Hamburg, Institute of Marine Ecosystem and Fishery Science (IMF)
Project manager for Tethys: Simone Panigada
Project partners: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI)
University of Gdańsk, Laboratory of Plankton Biology
Project subcontractors:
Project staff: Viola Panigada
Project other staff: Helena Herr, Sacha Viquerat, Anna Panasiuk
Milestone project:
Detailed description
This project provides new insights into the status and ecology of Southern Hemisphere fin whales. Evidence from visual surveys indicates that the population is showing signs of recovery, as reflected in increasing sighting numbers, high whale densities at known feeding grounds along the West Antarctic Peninsula, and the regular occurrence of large feeding aggregations.
These findings advance our understanding of fin whale recovery, habitat use, and migratory behaviour, and provide important knowledge for the conservation and management of this recovering population.
Results
In 2021, four satellite transmitters on SHFW were successfully deployed during a BBC led expedition to Elephant Island. Transmissions of two tags lasted long enough to track the migration after the end of the feeding season, representing the first long-distance tracks of fin whales tagged at Antarctic feeding grounds. The two fin whales moved north along the Chilean coast. The most northerly position received before all tags stopped transmitting on 1 May 2021 was at 48°S. These tracks provide initial evidence of seasonal migratory routes and a first indication toward possible locations of winter destinations
In 2023, another nine transmitters were deployed on fin whales at the feeding grounds off Elephant Island during research expedition MSM115. None of the tags lasted long enough to track north-bound migrations. However, tracking provided new insights on site fidelity and area restricted search (ARS) behaviour on the feeding grounds, as well as movement between different feeding grounds.