TY - JOUR
T1 - Trends in bowhead whales in West Greenland
T2 - aerial surveys vs. genetic capture-recapture analyses
AU - Rekdal, S.L.
AU - Hansen, R.G.
AU - Borchers, D.
AU - Bachmann, L.
AU - Laidre, K.L.
AU - Wiig, O.
AU - Nielsen, N.H.
AU - Fossette, S.
AU - Tervo, O.
AU - Heide-Jørgensen, M.P.
N1 - This study was funded by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the Greenlandic Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum, the National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP: US National Science Foundation and Office of Naval Research), the Danish Natural Science Research Council, the Commission for Scientific Investigations in Greenland (KVUG), the Danish Cooperation for Environment in the Arctic (Dancea) and the University of Oslo
PY - 2015/1
Y1 - 2015/1
N2 - We contrast two methods for estimating the trends of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in West Greenland: (1) double platform visual aerial survey, corrected for missed sightings and the time the whales are available at the surface; and (2) a genetic capture-recapture approach based on a 14-yr-long biopsy sampling program in Disko Bay. The aerial survey covered 39,000 km2 and resulted in 58 sightings, yielding an abundance estimate of 744 whales (CV = 0.34, 95% CI: 357–1,461). The genetic method relied on determining sex, mitochondrial haplotypes and genotypes of nine microsatellite markers. Based on samples from a total of 427 individuals, with 11 recaptures from previous years in 2013, this resulted in an estimate of 1,538 whales (CV = 0.24, 95% CI: 827–2,249). While the aerial survey is considered a snapshot of the local spring aggregation in Disko Bay, the genetic approach estimates the abundance of the source of this aggregation. As the whales in Disko Bay primarily are adult females that do not visit the bay annually, the genetic method would presumably yield higher estimates. The studies indicate that an increase in abundance observed between 1998 and 2006 has leveled off.
AB - We contrast two methods for estimating the trends of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in West Greenland: (1) double platform visual aerial survey, corrected for missed sightings and the time the whales are available at the surface; and (2) a genetic capture-recapture approach based on a 14-yr-long biopsy sampling program in Disko Bay. The aerial survey covered 39,000 km2 and resulted in 58 sightings, yielding an abundance estimate of 744 whales (CV = 0.34, 95% CI: 357–1,461). The genetic method relied on determining sex, mitochondrial haplotypes and genotypes of nine microsatellite markers. Based on samples from a total of 427 individuals, with 11 recaptures from previous years in 2013, this resulted in an estimate of 1,538 whales (CV = 0.24, 95% CI: 827–2,249). While the aerial survey is considered a snapshot of the local spring aggregation in Disko Bay, the genetic approach estimates the abundance of the source of this aggregation. As the whales in Disko Bay primarily are adult females that do not visit the bay annually, the genetic method would presumably yield higher estimates. The studies indicate that an increase in abundance observed between 1998 and 2006 has leveled off.
KW - Hidden Markov Models
KW - Aerial surveys
KW - Capture-recapture
KW - Arctic
KW - Genetics
KW - Bowhead whale
KW - Balaena mysticetus
KW - Disko Bay
KW - Abundance
UR - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12150/suppinfo
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84919835736
U2 - 10.1111/mms.12150
DO - 10.1111/mms.12150
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84919835736
SN - 0824-0469
VL - 31
SP - 133
EP - 154
JO - Marine Mammal Science
JF - Marine Mammal Science
IS - 1
ER -