Draft - WAMSI 2 - Kimberley Node - 1.2.1 - Modelling the movement and spatial distribution of humpback whales in the nearshore waters of the Kimberley

Brief description

Management of humpback whales in the waters of the Kimberley is hampered by a lack of integrated approaches to data acquisition and analysis. Extensive aerial and vessel survey and some tagging programs have been conducted over the last decade, predominantly focussed on providing estimates of seasonal abundance and distribution of humpback whales. There has been limited attempt to use these data to quantify the spatial distribution and identify critical habitat across the Kimberley; information that is urgently required to better inform management in an ecosystem that faces challenges of warming environments, massive industrial development and rapid growth of humpback whale populations (Hedley et al. 2009).

This project will directly address this need by collating and synthesising all existing data on distribution, abundance and movement patterns of humpback whales and associated environmental data collected across the north-west and in the Kimberley. We will use state-of-the-art analytical approaches to characterise and understand the movement behaviour of humpback whales and the environmental context in which they occur. We will use this synthesis to identify research gaps and where possible to construct predictive models of the present and future use of the Kimberley region by humpback whales.

The overarching goal of this project is to develop a better understanding of how humpback whales use the Kimberley including the environmental factors driving this pattern. The spatial and temporal distribution of young calves will be a key focus to better define critical habitat used as calving areas.

Lineage

Statement: *Compiling existing satellite tracking, aerial survey, vessel survey, land based surveys and CoastWatch data*
The vast majority of the available data is from the Centre for Whale Research (CWR) and has been made available. The data consisted of satellite tracking data from 2008 to 2009, aerial survey data from 2006 to 2008 and vessel survey data from two time periods; 1995 to 1997 and 2006 to 2008. The vessel survey data from 1995 to 1997 were provided as 370 individual Excel datasheets, with each file comprising one survey day. Three separate files (one for each year) were also provided which contained the projected whale positions for these sightings (using the position of the vessel, distance and bearing to the whale). Other datasets in hand for this project include vessel surveys from 2008 to 2011 and land based surveys from 2009 to 2013 collected by WAMSI and sightings data from coastwatch flights from 1993. We have initiated acquiring four other datasets including:
1. Woodside aerial and vessel survey data from James Price Point in 2009;
2. Sightings data from a Kimberley tourism operator from 2009 to 2014;
3. Sightings data from a shore based community project at James Price Point in 2012 and
4. Sightings data from a shore based PhD project at Pender Bay from 2006-2008.

TO DO: Add Table 2 (listing of all data)

*Modelling*

Notes

Credit
Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation