Movements of satellite-monitored humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, from the Cook Islands 2010

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Offshore Environment Tuna, Sharks and other targeted species Cook Islands

Whales found around the Cook Islands are currently considered by the IWC to be part of Breeding Stock F (IWC 2006); however, very little is known about the winter movements of these animals, and there is no information regarding where they feed in the Antarctic. Hauser et al. (2000) presented limited information on
population characteristics of Cook Island humpbacks, derived from a preliminary photo-identification study off Rarotonga and two other islands in the southern Cooks. Although there is no current abundance estimate, the Cook Islands aggregation appears to be small and transient, and recent photo-identification matches have shown connections with other areas (principally Tonga, Garrigue et al. 2002). In this study, we report the movements of seven whales satellite-tagged in the Cook Islands, including the first documented migration to an antarctic feeding ground. In September 2006 and 2007 we attached Argos satellite-monitored tags to eight humpback whales of various sex and behavioral classes