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ESTIMATION OF PREY DENSITIES REQUIRED BY WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES
Author(s) -
Kenney Robert D.,
Hyman Martin A. M.,
Owen Ralph E.,
Scott Gerald P.,
Winn Howard E.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
marine mammal science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.723
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1748-7692
pISSN - 0824-0469
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-7692.1986.tb00024.x
Subject(s) - whale , right whale , zooplankton , predation , environmental science , range (aeronautics) , cetacea , habitat , fishery , ecology , biology , materials science , composite material
A bstract The apparent lack of significant recovery of western North Atlantic right whale populations may be related to the availability of prey in exploitable densities. We have attempted to estimate the concentration of zooplankton required by right whales to obtain a net energetic benefit over the long term, using estimated values for body weight, metabolic rate, assimilation efficiency, time spent feeding, mouth size and swimming speed. The estimated range of required energy densities is 7.57 to 2,394 kcal m −3 (3.17 × 10 4 to 1.00 × 10 7 joule m −3 ). These values are from one to more than three orders of magnitude greater than the densest concentration sampled in the vicinity of right whale aggregations in the Great South Channel. Right whales must seek out and exploit extremely dense patches of prey organisms in order to feed efficiently. The presence of such dense patches of zooplankton is likely to be a primary characteristic of spring, summer and fall right whale habitats.