Antarctic20Humpback20Whale20Catalogue1

1Report to IAATO
1 November 2007
College of the Atlantic (COA) has maintained a collection of humpback whale (Megaptera
novaeangliae) identification photographs from the Antarctic since 1987. The collection has been
internationally collaborative from its beginning, with photographic contributions from 202
researchers and opportunistic sources. The Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalogue (AHWC) now
contains almost 6,000 photographs of over 3,000 individual humpback whales. It has
experienced rapid growth in recent years, with the generous submission of current catalogues
from several research groups and the International Whaling Commission SOWER cruise data, as
well as increasing submissions of opportunistic photographs from eco-tourism cruise ships in the
Southern Ocean.
Opportunistic data represents a significant portion of the AHWC. For the period 1981 through
2007, 1178 photos representing 541 individuals have been submitted from ecotourism and other
opportunistic sources. In the Antarctic Peninsula, approximately 50% of the catalogued
individuals were contributed by opportunistic sources. The availability of this data has broadened
our understanding of the exchange between areas and in some cases provided information that
was previously not available. The submission of photos from a cruise ship off South Georgia in
2004 of an animal previously seen off Brazil resulted in the first long-distance resighting of an
individual from these areas (Stevick, 2006). Photos taken from a cruise ship resulted in one of
several matches between the Peninsula and Costa Rica, documenting the longest known
migration for any mammal (Rasmussen, 2007). The AHWC provides a unique clearing house for
opportunistic data, facilitating public education and participation, and providing a valuable
source of data to researchers for scientific analysis.
Increasing awareness of the project among research organizations, tour operators and other
potential contributors has widened the scope of the collection; research efforts in areas that had
not previously been sampled have extended the geographic coverage. The AHWC has grown by
35% in the last two years, from 2238 to over 3,000 individuals. In spite of adopting more
efficient analysis techniques, the recent submission of catalogues from the Projeto
Baleias/Brazilian Antarctic Program (PBA), Projeto Baleia Jubarte (PBJ), the Ecuadorian
Foundation for the Study of Marine Mammals (FEMM) and IWC SOWER projects has produced
a backlog of over 1,000 photos to be analyzed.

Continued funding from the International Whaling Commission provides a baseline operating
budget but by itself is not sufficient to fund the project; additional funds received from cruise
ship passengers through activities such as raffles aboard the Explorer have been critical to the
continued success of the Catalog. We are extremely grateful for the support of IAATO and its
member cruise ships - in educating the public and spreading awareness of the AHWC, soliciting
photographs, and any financial support.
Judith Allen
Director, Humpback Photoidentification Studies
Allied Whale, College of the Atlantic


Abstract, Poster Presentation for the 17th Biennial Conference of the Society for Marine
Mammals, Capetown, South Africa, Nov. 29-Dec 3, 2007
The Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalogue: Insights Revealed by Opportunistic Data
Holm, Bethany L.; Allen, Judith M.
Allied Whale, College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden St. Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 USA

A collection of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) identification photographs from the
southern hemisphere has been maintained by Allied Whale since 1987, with the goal of
investigating movements of humpback whales between the Southern Ocean and lower latitude
waters. Supported by the IWC since 1998, the Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalogue (AHWC) is
one of the largest international collaborations in cetacean photo-identification, with photographic
contributions from 202 researchers and opportunistic sources. Submitted photographs are
compared against the AHWC and stored in a searchable online database. Currently, the catalogue
includes 3,023 individual whales, an increase of 54% since 2003. The AHWC contains 1,348
individuals photographed in high-latitude feeding regions, as well as 1,753 individuals
photographed in low-latitude breeding regions. To date there have been 212 individuals
resighted in more than one year, and 83 individuals resighted in more than one region.
Due to logistical difficulties inherent to dedicated cetacean studies in the Antarctic region
(particularly longitudinal studies), opportunistic data are a valuable source of information

regarding these populations. The availability of this data has broadened our understanding of the
exchange between areas and in some cases provided information that was previously not
available. To date, 1,178 photos representing 541 individuals have been submitted to the AHWC
from ecotourism and other opportunistic sources, comprising 50% of the catalogued humpbacks
from the Antarctic Peninsula. Recent publications based on both directed and opportunistic data
have documented migratory links between Brazil and South Georgia, and between eastern
Australia and Antarctic Area V, migration routes undocumented since the cessation of
commercial whaling. A third publication documents the longest known migration for any
mammal, between Costa Rica and the Antarctic Peninsula. The fact that these historic discoveries
were facilitated by opportunistic sources of data highlights the need to foster international
collaboration between researchers, eco-tourism operators, and the general public.