We propose to conduct small boat-based surveys in 2024 to follow up sightings made during a planned 2024 swfsc research cruise, gather photographic identifications, and collect samples from…

This $232,276 federal Project Grant award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Broad Agency Announcement (CFDA 11.015) program will support small boat-based surveys in 2024 to follow up on sightings made during a planned NOAA research cruise. The grant recipient, Cascadia Research Collective, will gather photographic identifications and collect samples primarily from humpback and blue whales to prepare for abundance estimations. The project will also develop new models and analyses to improve population abundance estimates for these whale species along the U.S. West Coast. This information is critically needed to support conservation efforts and mitigate issues such as whale entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes. The grant will fund these research activities from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.

We propose to conduct small boat-based surveys in 2024 to follow up sightings made during a planned 2024 swfsc research cruise, gather photographic identifications, and collect samples from primarily humpback and blue whales to prepare these for abundance estimations. As a part of our work we will also develop new models and analyses of population abundance and trends of blue whales. These efforts will provide key data and analyses to improve cetacean abundance based on more comprehensive and geographically representative samples of photo identification off the US west coast. A similar small boat effort conducted in conjunction with the last ship survey in 2018 was extremely successful in achieving this goal taking advantage of the synergy of conducting this work simultaneously with these types of surveys. This information is critically needed for both humpback and blue whales. Three humpback whale distinct population segments (dpss) occur in summer along the u.s west coast. Two of these predominate and are both ESA-listed: the mexican DPS (threatened) and the central american DPS (endangered). Animals from one or both of these dpss are increasingly (since prior to 2015) becoming entangled in pot/trap gear along the U.S. West coast and this issue has become a high-profile conservation story and california was sued by the center for biology diversity over this matter. States of washington, oregon and california have formed whale entanglement working groups to mitigate the problem and seek solutions to reducing whale entanglement rates and crabbing gear and maintain sustainable fisheries. Additionally, humpback, blue, and FIN whales are all subject to levels of ship strikes that by some estimates exceed sustainable levels. International, state and federal agencies, fisheries, and other stakeholders (e.g., whale-watching, shipping and fishing-industry groups, the US navy, bureau of ocean energy management) need information and tools to accurately assess and mitigate risks of their activities to these threatened and endangered humpback dpss, i.e., to understand which dpss occur where and when on a fine spatio-temporal scale throughout the U.S. West coast area. Existing abundance estimates for blue whales from line transect data and from mark-recapture show a growing discrepancy between the methods in both recent abundance and direction of the trend. If blue whale abundance is declining to the degree indicated by the line-transect estimates, going from 2,000 to 3,000 in the 1990S to under 1,000 more recently this would be a major concern. Our primary objectives are to understand the spatial-temporal distributions, abundance, demographics, and feeding ecology of blue and humpback whales with a focus on the different humpback whale dpss along the US west coast. We will accomplish this through collection and analysis of a geographically comprehensive photo ID and biopsy dataset from humpback and blue whales, and new models and analyses of blue whale abundance. Our project proposal addresses the nexus of sustainable fishing and conserving biodiversity and thus addresses the healthy oceans program priority for this grant program.