DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13685
copiedKiller whale movements on the Norwegian shelf are associated with herring density
- Emma F. Vogel
- Martin Biuw
- Marie-Anne Blanchet
- Ian D. Jonsen
- Evert Mul
- Espen Johnsen
- Solfrid Sætre Hjøllo
- Morten Tange Olsen
- Rune Dietz
- Audun Rikardsen
ABSTRACT: Killer whales Orcinus orca have a cosmopolitan distribution with a broad diet ranging from fish to marine mammals. In Norway, killer whales are regularly observed feeding on overwintering Norwegian spring-spawning (NSS) herring Clupea harengus inside the fjords. However, their offshore foraging behavior and distribution are less well understood. In particular, it is not known to what degree they rely on the NSS herring stock when the herring move to deeper offshore waters. Satellite telemetry data from 29 male killer whales were analyzed to assess whether their offshore foraging behavior is linked to herring distribution. Unlike most marine predator-prey studies that use indirect proxies for prey abundance and distribution, our study utilized 2 herring density estimates based on (1) direct observations from acoustic trawl survey data and (2) simulations from a fully coupled ecosystem model. Mixed effects models were used to infer the effect of herring density and light intensity on whale movement patterns. Our results suggest that killer whales follow NSS herring over long distances along the coast from their inshore overwintering areas to offshore spawning grounds. All whales changed from fast, directed, to slow, non-directed movement when herring density increased, although individuals had different propensities towards movement. Our data indicated that whales continue to feed on herring along the Norwegian shelf. We conclude that NSS herring constitute an important prey resource for at least some killer whales in the northeastern Atlantic, not only during the herring overwintering period, but also subsequently throughout the herring spawning migration.
KEYWORDS
Emma F. Vogel (Corresponding Author)
- UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
Martin Biuw (Co-author)
- Institute of Marine Research, FRAM—High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9007 Tromsø, Norway
Marie-Anne Blanchet (Co-author)
- UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
Ian D. Jonsen (Co-author)
- Macquarie University, Department of Biological Sciences, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
Evert Mul (Co-author)
- UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
Espen Johnsen (Co-author)
- Institute of Marine Research, FRAM—High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9007 Tromsø, Norway
Solfrid Sætre Hjøllo (Co-author)
- Institute of Marine Research Box 1870 Nordnes, 5817 Bergen, Norway
Morten Tange Olsen (Co-author)
- University of Copenhagen, Globe Institute, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
Rune Dietz (Co-author)
- Aarhus University, Institute for Bioscience, Marine Mammal Research, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Audun Rikardsen (Co-author)
- UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, 9037 Tromsø, Norway