Using Drones, HIMB Researchers Assess the Health of Humpback Whale Mother-Calf Pairs Across the Pacific Ocean
HIMB Researchers Characterize Keys to Successful Pregnancy in Humpback Whales
December 11, 2024Using Drones, HIMB Researchers Assess the Health of Humpback Whale Mother-Calf Pairs Across the Pacific Ocean
A mother-calf pair in the calm, shallow waters of Maui, Hawaiʻi. Image credit: Martin van Aswegen. Marine Mammal Research Program; NMFS permit 21476.
KANEOHE, HI (DEC 17, 2024)- In a groundbreaking study published this week in The Journal of Physiology, biologists at the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at UH Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) used drone imagery to advance understanding of how lactating humpback whales and their calves fare as they traverse the Pacific Ocean. Recent declines in North Pacific humpback whale reproduction and survival of calves highlight an urgent need to understand how mother-calf pairs expend energy across their migratory cycle. This work, done in close partnership with Alaska Whale Foundation, Pacific Whale Foundation and other partners, provides unprecedented insight into the life history of humpback whales across their migratory cycle, and provides key baseline data for understanding how rapid changes in ocean ecosystems are impacting humpback whales.
Read the full feature article
