Overview
Status: Completed
Topics: Conservation, Research
Start date: 24/09/2013
End date: 24/09/2015
Parent project: Telemetry Lab
Project website:
Funding institutions: Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide (PNRA)
Target species: Killer whale
Tethys role: Partner
Project manager for Tethys: Simone Panigada
Project partners:
Project subcontractors:
Project staff:
Project other staff: Giancarlo Lauriano - ISPRA
Milestone project:
Detailed description
The Ross Sea Killer whale is known to be a fish eating species. In northern Terra Nova Bay presence and occurrence of this ecotype has been described in 2004. From mid-January to mid-February 2015, ten killer whales were equipped with location-only satellite (SPOT) and additional vertical behaviour (SPLASH) transmitters, to investigate horizontal and vertical movements.
Data support high use of the area by KW and provide concrete tools to enhance and update the management and conservation actions within the Antarctic Specially Protected area (n°173) of Silver fish Bay in Terra Nova Bay.
Results
The whales predominantly engaged in feeding activities along the pack ice edge, between the Campbell Ice Tongue and Cape Washington. After 9 days spent in this area, the whales began heading north with consistent route along the Ross Sea towards Culman Island, Cape Hallet and Cape Adare. Gradually, they left the Antarctic waters and travelled constantly undertaking a long-distance migration (4,700 nm) towards subtropical waters close to New Zealand.