The collation of 26 summer sighting records over years 1975-77, 1984 and 1987-91 suggest that bowhead whales may occupy the northeastern Chukchi Sea in late summer more regularly than commonly believed.Key words: bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus, Chukchi Sea, outer continental shelfR&Eacute;SUM&Eacute;. L'exploitation statistique de 26 observations faites au cours de l'&eacute;t&eacute; entre 1975 et 1977, en 1984 et entre 1987 et 1991 donne &agrave; penser que la baleine bor&eacute;ale pourrait occuper la partie septentrionale et orientale de la mer des Tchouktches &agrave; la fin de l'&eacute;t&eacute; de fa&ccedil;on plus r&eacute;guli&egrave;re qu'on ne l'admet g&eacute;n&eacute;ralement.Mots cl&eacute;s: baleine bor&eacute;ale, Balaena mysticetus, mer des Tchouktches, plateau continental extem

Moore, Sue E.

English

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VOL. 45, NO. 4 (DECEMBER 1992) P. 398-400 ARCTIC Summer Records of Bowhead Whales in  the Northeastern Chukchi Sea SUE E. MOORE' (Received 14 November 1991; accepted in revised form 2 March 19921 ABSTRACT. The collation of 26 summer sighting records over years 1975-77, 1984 and 1987-91 suggest that bowhead whales may occupy the northeastem  Chukchi  Sea  in late summer  more  regularly  than  commonly  believed. Key words:  bowhead  whale, Balaena  mysricetus, Chukchi  Sea,  outer  continental  shelf RESUME.  L'exploitation  statistique  de  26  observations  faites au cours  de l'ttt entre  1975  et  1977,  en  1984 et entre 1987  et  1991  donne A penser  que la  baleine boride pourrait  occuper  la  partie  septentrionale et orientale de la  mer  des  Tchouktches B la  fin  de l'tt6 de fagon  plus  rtgulikre  qu'on  ne I'admet  gtn6ralement. Mots  cl6s:  baleine bortale, Balaena  mysticetus, mer  des  Tchouktches,  plateau  continental  exteme Traduit  pour le journal  par Ntsida Loyer. The  Bering  Sea  stock of  bowhead whales (Balaena mystice- tus) annually  migrates  around  western  and  northern  Alaska between  wintering areas in the northern  Bering  Sea and sum- mering areas in the eastern  Beaufort  Sea  (Braham et al., 1984). During the seasonal migrations,  bowheads pass near or through  outer continental shelf (OCS) oil and gas  planning/ lease areas (Braham et al., 1984; Moore and Clarke, 1990). Broad-scale bowhead whale distribution and abundance have been studied in conjunction with offshore exploration activi- ties  in  the Beaufort  Sea each fall since 1979 (Ljungblad et al., 1986; Treacy, 1991) and in the Chukchi Sea since fall 1982 (Moore and Clarke, 1990). Because bowhead whales are thought to be largely absent  from the Chukchi  Sea from  July through  mid-September (Dahlheim et al., 1980; Miller et al., 1986), studies there usually do not begin until  the latter half  of September  (Moore  and  Clarke,  1990).  However,  bowheads  that appeared to be  feeding were  seen near  Barrow, Alaska,  from late July  through  mid-August  1989  (George  and  Carroll,  1989). This report prompted a search for additional summer records of  bowheads in the northeastern Chukchi Sea, which are sum- marized  here. Bowhead whale sighting records (Table 1; Fig. 1) were obtained  from U.S. National  Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and  the  North Slope  Borough (NSB). Summertime  surveys for bowhead  whales  in  the Chukchi  Sea have not  been  conducted since  1978  (Dahlheim et al., 1980), so all but  the  NMFS-coded sightings  (see Table 1)  were incidental to other research. The largest single bowhead group recorded  was  that  of 74 whales seen  northwest of Icy Cape in August 1975. Researchers believed  this to be an aberrant occurrence caused by persistent heavy ice cover that year (Braham et al., 1984). There were three reports in  August  1976 - one  confirmed sighting of 4 whales just north of Barrow  and  two  "tentative"  identifications southwest of Point  Hope. Except for one "tentative" sighting near  Point  Hope in  August 1977, there  were no other reports until late August/early September 1984, when 19 bowheads were seen  southwest of Barrow.  Single whales  were  reported just west of Barrow in early  July  1987  and  1988  and  in  mid- July 1990. Up to 4 bowheads were seen  near the location of these  July sightings in early September  1987; the 2 positively TABLE 1. Sightings of bowhead  whales  in  the  northeastem  Chukchi Sea  from  late July through  early  September' Source  Date  L cation ("NIOW) Count  mment NMFS NMFS POP POP POP NSB POP NSB NSB NSB EBASCO 8/75 811 9/76 8/29/76 8/29/76 8/21/77 813 1/84 813 1/84 8/31/84 9/1/84 9/5/84 7/9/87 9/2/87 9/2/87 9/4/87 7/6/88 7/23/89 8/12/89 8/14/89 8/15/89 8/15/89 8/15/89 8/15/89 7/15/90 812419 1 8/26/9 1 71"30.0',156"00.0' 67O31.2',167"56.4' 67O30.6',167'56.7' 68"18.4',166°28.0' 71"02.9',158"34.9' 71°03.3',158035.9' 71"03.9',158"33.0' 7O036.4',16O048.O' 70"39.7',160"35.7' 71°17.0',156050.0' 71°14.3',157"08.6' 71°14.8',157"10.1' 71°33.3',160"37.1' 71°19.0',156"54.0' 71"20.0',155"40.0' 71"35.0',155"30.0' 71"15.0',154°40.0' 71"12.8',154"47.6' 71"13.6',154"45.8' 71°14.6',154"45.8' 71°13.1',154"43.8' 71°14.1',157"14.4' 7l033.5',16lo04.8' 71°17.9',157"04.4' 71°08.4',159"39.6' - 'Data sources: NMFS = Braham et al., 1984; POP = NMFS Platform of Opportunity  Program  (Boucher  and  Boaz, 1989/rT"] indicates  a  "tentative" sighting); NSB = North Slope Borough (George and Carroll, 1989/[infor- mant]);  EBASCO = Brueggeman,  1992. NA = no  additional  information. 74 4 1 1 1 4 5 6 1 3 1 1 2 1 1 3-4 10-15 (8) 5 3-4 5-7 1 2-4 1 1 1 1 ___ N.E.  Icy  Cape;  heavy ice  year In open  water ["T"]; NA ["T"];  NA ["T"]; NA NA NA NA NA NA [L. Dalton]; NA Feeding t"T"]; NA Feeding [L.  Kittick]; NA Mile  N.  Cooper Is. Surface  feeding, 60' depth (Later in day)/18-20 nm N.  Martin Is. 8-10 nm N. C. 50' depth Simpson 53'  depth;  "wide-line" feeding North  of  above  group 53';  swim SW in [C.  Brower]; NA NA NA NA "wide  lines" 'Science  Applications  International  Corporation  (SAIC),  2845-D  Nimitz  Boulevard,  San  Diego,  California  92106,  U.S.A. OThe'Arctic  Institute of North  America NOTE / 399 7s I I I I I I I I I I  I l l 1  I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I  BEAUFORT r- 369 SEA L CHUKCHI SEA Point Lay ‘ Aebue ALASKA Legend - Total number sighted: = 1 whale = 2 to 5 whales 0 = 6 to 10 whales = 11 to  20 whales 0 = over 20 whales 64 I I I I I ~ I I I I . I I I I  I I I I ~ I I I I ~ I I I I )  175 170’  165 160’ 155 150’  145 FIG. I. Locations of summer  bowhead  whale  sightings  in  the  northeastern  Chukchi  Sea,  as  listed in Table 1. identified whales seemed to be feeding. Similarly, several of the bowheads seen northeast of Barrow in  late July through mid-August 1989 appeared to be feeding at the surface in “wide lines,” analogous to the echelon swimming pattern described by Wiirsig et al. (1989) for bowheads feeding in the eastern Beaufort Sea. Finally, 3 bowheads were seen in late August 1991 by biologists surveying waters near exploratory drilling sites in the northeastern Chukchi Sea. Although few in number, the incidental sightings summa- rized here suggest  that bowhead whales may occupy the north- eastern Chukchi Sea in late summer more regularly than commonly believed. These whales  may  be “early” fall migrants from  the  eastern  Beaufort  Sea  (Moore  and  Clarke, 1991; Moore et al., 1989; Braham et al., 1984) or may  be a remnant of a bowhead population that summered in the Chukchi Sea prior to commercial whaling (Dahlheim et al., 1980). Offshore oil  and  gas exploratory drilling activities began in the Chukchi Sea  in 1989 and will likely continue at least through the mid- 1990s (MMS, 1991). If additional summer sightings are reported during site-specific monitoring studies associated with offshore exploration (e.g., Brueggeman, 1990, 1992), a broad-scale study to investigate bowhead summer occurrence and behavior in the northeastern Chukchi Sea seems  warranted. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The  data  in  this  note  were  largely  provided by J. Craig  George,  of the North Slope  Borough  Department of Wildlife  Management,  and Lieutenant ,   junior   grade,   Daniel   Cheng,   NOAA  Platforms of Opportunity  program  manager.  The  map  was  prepared  by  Robert Smith, of SAIC.  Janet  Clarke  and  Michele  Johnson, of SAIC, J. Craig George,  and an anonymous  reviewer  provided  helpful  comments  on the draft  manuscript. My thanks to all. REFERENCES BOUCHER, G.C., and BOAZ, C.J. 1989. Documentation for the marine mammal  sightings  database of the  National  Marine  Mammal  Laboratory. NOAA Technical  Memorandum NMFS.F/NWC-l59.60 p. BRAHAM,  H.W.,  KROGMAN,  B.D.,  and  CARROLL,  G.M.  1984.  Bowhead and white whale migration,  distribution, and abundance in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, 1975-78. NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRF-778.39 p. 400 / NOTE BRUEGGEMAN, J.J., ed. 1990. Shell Western E&P Inc. 1989. Walrus Monitoring  Program:  The  Klondike,  Burger,  and Popco'rn Prospects  in  the Chukchi  Sea.  Final  report  prepared by Ebasco  Environmental.  Available  at Shell  Western  E&P Inc., P.O. Box 4320,  Houston,  Texas  77210,  U.S.A. , ed.  1992.  Shell  Western  E&P  Inc./Chevron  U.S.A.,  Inc.  1991.  Marine Mammal Monitoring Program (Seals and Whales) Crackerjack and Diamond Prospects, Chukchi Sea. Final report prepared by Ebasco Environmental. Available at  Shell Western E&P Inc., P.O. Box 4320, Houston, Texas 77210, U.S.A. , DAHLHEIM, M.E., BRAY, T., and BRAHAM, H. 1980. Vessel survey for bowhead  whales  in  the  Bering  and  Chukchi  seas,  June-July  1978.  Marine Fisheries  Review  42(9-10):51-57. GEORGE, J.C., and CARROLL, G.M. 1989. August sightings of bowhead whales  in  the  Point  Barrow  to  Cape  Simpson  region.  Unpubl.  ms.  Memo- randum to Benjamin  P.  Nageak,  dated  21  August  1989.  Available  at North - Slope Borough, Department of Wildlife Management, P.O. Box 69, Bar- row,  Alaska  99723,  U.S.A. LJUNGBLAD,  D.K.,  MOORE, S.E.,  and  VAN SCHOIK.  1986.  Seasonal  pat- terns  of  distribution,  abundance,  migration  and  behaviour  of  the  western arctic  stock  of  bowhead  whales, Balaena  mysticetus, in Alaskan  seas. Report of the  International  Whaling  Commission,  Special  Issue 8: 177-205. MILLER,  R.V.,  RUGH,  D.J.,  and  JOHNSON,  J.H.  1986.  The  distribution of bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus, in the Chukchi Sea. Marine Mammal  Science  2(3):214-222. MMS.  1991.  Interior  issues  final  notice  of sale for  offshore  oil  and  gas  lease sale-126 in Chukchi  Sea. New Release #91-23. Available at US.  MMS, Alaska  OCS  Region,  Anchorage,  Alaska  99508-4302, U.S.A. MOORE,  S.E.,  and  CLARKE, J.T. 1990.  Distribution,  abundance  and  behav- ior of endangered  whales  in  the  Alaskan  Chukchi  and  western  Beaufort Sea, 1989. OCS Study MMS-90-0051. 240 p. Available at the U.S. Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS Region, Anchorage, Alaska 99508-4302,  U.S.A. MOORE, S.E., and CLARKE, J.T. 1991. Estimates of bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) numbers in the Beaufort Sea during late summer. Arctic  44(1):43-46. MOORE, S.E., CLARKE, J.T., and LJUNGBLAD, D.K. 1989. Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) spatial  and  temporal  distribution in the  central Beaufort Sea during late summer and early fall 1979-86. Report of the International  Whaling  Commission  39:283-290. TREACY, S.D. 1991. Aerial surveys of endangered whales in the Beaufort Sea,  Fall  1990.  OCS  Study  MMS-91-0023.  64 p. + appendices.  Available at  the  U.S.  Minerals  Management  Service,  Alaska  OCS  Region,  Anchor- age,  Alaska  99508-4302,  U.S.A. WURSIG, B., DORSEY, E.M., RICHARDSON, W.J., and WELLS, R.S. 1989.  Feeding,  aerial  and  play  behaviour of the  bowhead  whale, Balaena mysticetus, summering  in  the  Beaufort  Sea.  Aquatic  Mammals  15.1:27-37. 

Summer Records of Bowhead Whales in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea

ABSTRACT. The collation of 26 summer sighting records over years 1975-77, 1984 and 1987-91 suggest that bowhead whales may occupy the northeastem Chukchi Sea in late summer more regularly than commonly believed

Sue E. Moore

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ARCTIC Summer Records of Bowhead Whales in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea

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Summer Records of Bowhead Whales in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea

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