ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8986-482X
Current Organisations
Murdoch University
,
Alaska SeaLife Center
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Publisher: University of Queensland Library
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 18-02-2011
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-04-2017
Publisher: Aquatic Mammals Journal
Date: 12-2012
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 14-09-2011
Publisher: Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
Date: 10-2014
DOI: 10.1121/1.4899919
Abstract: Active acoustics were used to collect information on the type, distribution, and abundance of baleen whale prey species such as zooplankton and fish at fine spatial (sub-meter) and temporal (sub-minute) scales. Unlike other prey measurement methods, scientific echosounder surveys provide prey data at a resolution similar to what a predator would detect in order to efficiently forage. Data from several studies around the world shows that differences in prey type or distribution result in distinctly different baleen whale foraging behaviors. Humpback whales in coastal waters of Australia altered their foraging pattern depending on the presence and abundance of baitfish or krill. In Southeast Alaska, humpback whales foraged cooperatively or independently depending on prey type and abundance. Humpback whales in the Northwest Atlantic with multiple prey species available foraged on an energetically costly (and presumably rewarding) species. The vertical and horizontal movements of North Atlantic right whales in Cape Cod Bay were strongly correlated with very dense aggregations of copepods. In all of these cases, active acoustics were used to estimate numerical densities of the prey, which provides quantitative information about the energy resource available to foraging animals.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2014
Publisher: Inter-Research Science Center
Date: 22-01-2015
DOI: 10.3354/ESR00642
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.468
Abstract: The Baltic Proper harbor porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) is currently listed as critically endangered (CR), with the Static Acoustic Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Harbor Porpoise (SAMBAH) project concluding that only ~500 in iduals remain. This population has a distribution that spans the waters of nine countries, making regular abundance estimates and management action challenging. Given the continued decline of other depleted porpoises, namely the vaquita ( Phocoena sinus ), the question is often raised about whether management action would even have a positive impact, or whether it is too late for population recovery. When abundance estimates are sparse over time, monitoring programs at key sites are likely to serve as the best indication of population trends, and may provide an early indication of changes at the population level. We compared passive acoustic monitoring data from 12 stations that were utilized both in the SAMBAH project (2011–2013) and as a part of the Swedish National Monitoring Program (2017–2020) to determine trends in detection rates. There was a 29% increase in mean daily detection rate during May–October (over the breeding season) between the two study periods. At the three stations with the highest number of detections, log linear regression revealed a yearly increase of 2.4% between 2011 and 2019 (−4.4–9.6, 95% CI). This may be indicative of the beginnings of population recovery, or simply an indication that the decline has stalled. The rate of increase is still well below what is likely to be possible for porpoise populations, and unlikely to buffer against any potential increase in pressures in the future. We therefore call for urgent management action to remove threats and protect this CR population, the only resident cetacean in the Baltic region, in order to give it the best chance of recovery.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-05-2021
DOI: 10.1002/AQC.3621
Abstract: The recovery of overexploited populations is likely to reveal behaviours that may have been present prior to harvest but are only now reappearing as the population size increases. The east Australian humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) population (group V, stock E1) has recovered well from past exploitation and is now estimated to be close to the pre‐whaling population size. Humpback whales were thought to follow a ‘feast and famine’ model historically, feeding intensively in high‐latitude feeding grounds and then fasting while migrating and in calving grounds however, there is growing evidence that animals may feed outside of known foraging grounds. This short article reports on the first photographically documented evidence of bubble‐net feeding by humpback whales in Australian coastal waters ( n = 10 groups observed) and provides the first evidence of a second site in the southern hemisphere for the formation of ‘super‐groups’ ( n = 6 super‐groups at discrete locations). The formation of super‐groups may be linked to changes in the type or density of prey available, either along the migratory route or in the feeding grounds of the previous summer. It is also possible that the increased population size following recovery make large group sizes while feeding more common. These findings strongly support evidence that feeding behaviour is not restricted to high‐latitude foraging grounds in the Southern Ocean, and that prey consumption prior to leaving the coastal waters of Australia may be a significant component of the migratory ecology of this population. Understanding how environmental variation influences the extent to which humpback whales depend on foraging opportunities along their migratory route, and where feeding occurs, will help to predict how future changes in the ocean will influence whale populations. This will also allow for more effective management measures to reduce the impact of threats during this important period of energy consumption.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-08-2016
No related grants have been discovered for Kylie Owen.