Habitat use of south-eastern Pacific humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae; Borowski 1781) in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
L. Pelayo-González
A B , L. Oviedo B * , A. Márquez-Artavia C , D. Herra-Miranda B , J. D. Pacheco-Polanco B , B. Bessesen D and H. M. Guzmán E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
B Laboratorio de Ecología de Mamíferos Marinos Tropicales, Centro de Investigación de Cetáceos de Costa Rica CEIC, Rincón de Osa, 60503, Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica.
C Departamento de Plancton y Ecología Marina, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas - Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 23096, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
D Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AH, UK.
E Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), 0843-03092, Balboa, Panama.
Marine and Freshwater Research 73(12) 1465-1474 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF21357
Submitted: 30 December 2021 Accepted: 1 September 2022 Published: 14 October 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Golfo Dulce is a wintering ground of the south-eastern Pacific population of humpback whales. Habitat use and spatial preferences of whales during their reproductive season must be addressed to effectively conserve this species.
Aims: This study aims to determine spatial segregation depending on humpback whale group composition (groups that included mother–calf dyads versus adult-only groups).
Methods: Spatial aggregation was assessed using sightings per unit of effort from June to October, 2010–2019. The group preferences were analysed as a function of water depth and distance from the coast, and habitat use was characterised using behavioural data.
Key results: Our SPUE analysis showed important locations used by humpback whales. The mother–calf groups were present in waters <80 m deep, and their main behaviour was resting (nursing and social). Adult-only groups were in the deeper waters, and the main behaviours were social breaching and travelling. Spatial preferences and behaviour data allowed the identification of critical nursing areas near potential mating grounds.
Conclusions and implications: Our study has highlighted the need for inshore habitat protection, and these habitat-use patterns should be considered when designing effective conservation and management strategies for marine spatial planning.
Keywords: behavioral ecology, breeding grounds, Central America wintering area, cetaceans, habitat use, humpback whale, resource management, spatial ecology.
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