Dana WrightM.S. Student

Thesis Title

Impacts of consumption by an increasing population of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) within the Kodiak archipelago

Affiliations

• Society for Marine Mammology
• Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
• Pi Mu Epsilon Honor Society
• Acoustical Society of America

Specialties

• Population Dynamics
• Cetacean Acoustics
• Advanced PADI Scuba
• Stable Isotope Ecology

Education

• B.Sc. 2012 University of Maine (Marine Science)

Research Overview

Multiple apex predators, including humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), inhabit Kodiak waters. The diets of many of these predators are often directly or indirectly linked to culturally and commercially important fish species, including Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) and walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma). As a result, predator consumption likely overlaps in some regions and may limit the availability of certain prey for other consumers. Following a moratorium on industrial whaling, humpback whales have experienced considerable recovery from near depletion over the last 20 years,and an increase in their consumption of prey resources has logically followed. In this study, I propose to use stable isotope ecology to explore humpback whale diets and trophic levels, in conjunction with classification statistics, to determine if feeding groups based on stable isotope variability are present. This fine scale diet analysis will help to identify regions where consumption by humpback whales has greater potential to overlap with prey use by other sympatric predators and commercial fisheries. I also propose to update the current abundance estimate of humpback whales around Kodiak to assess their level of regional population growth. Understanding how the diet of humpback whales overlaps that of other consumers is essential to assessing the potential impact of an increasing humpback whale population on forage species, especially in Kodiak, where marine resources are highly valued and populations of both predators and prey have experienced dramatic fluctuations across the past several decades.

Links

• Dana Wright Research Website
• 2012 University of Maine School of Marine Sciences Symposium Poster
  Title: The Importance of Call Typing Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) Vocalizations

Publications

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Modified 10 December 2010. Questions or comments to web coordinator.
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