Br. Mate et al., LOCAL AND MIGRATORY MOVEMENTS OF HAWAIIAN HUMPBACK WHALES TRACKED BY SATELLITE TELEMETRY, Canadian journal of zoology, 76(5), 1998, pp. 863-868
We examined inter-island movements and offshore migrations of six hump
back whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) tagged during March and April 199
5 with satellite-monitored radio tags off Kaua'i, Hawai'i. The tags tr
ansmitted 0.5-17 days ((x) over bar = 8.5 +/- 2.7 days) and produced 1
-66 locations that met our screening criteria. Total travel distances
per individual ranged from 30 to 1860 km. After screening criteria wer
e applied,satellite-acquired locations ranged from 1.8 to 3.9/day for
individuals (group average 2.7/day). One adult traveled 250 km to O'ah
u in 4 days. Another visited Penguin Bank and five islands (820 km) in
10 days, suggesting faster inter-island movement than had been previo
usly thought. Three whales traveled independent, parallel courses towa
rd the upper Gulf of Alaska on north-northeast headings. A female with
a calf was the fastest: 670 km in 4.5 days (150 km/day). Two whales t
raveled for 14.7 and 17 days, an average speed of 110 km/day (4.5 km/h
). A 4200-km migration to the upper Gulf of Alaska at that speed would
take 39 days. If the fastest whale's speed was maintained on a straig
ht course, the entire migration could be accomplished in as little tim
e as 28 days. Based on the two longest tracks, the first third of the
migration route is within 1 degrees of magnetic north. These data repr
esent the first route and travel speeds for humpbacks migrating from H
awai'i toward Alaska.