BURDIN ET AL.: STATUS OF KILLER WHALES IN EASTERN KAMCHATKA SC/59/SM4 • PAGE 1 of 11 Status of Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Eastern Kamchatka (Russian Far East) Based on Photo- Identification and Acoustic Studies. Preliminary Results

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Burdin, Alexander M. Hoyt, Erich Filatova, Olga A. Ivkovich, Tatyana V. Tarasyan, Karina K. Sato, Hal
Copyright Year	2007
Abstract	From 1999-2006, a long-term study of killer whales (Orcinus orca) off eastern Kamchatka has conducted photoidentification and acoustic studies from a field station in Avacha Gulf. From 2002-2005, wide-area large ship surveys have expanded the study to other regions in the Russian Far East (RFE) including: northeast Kamchatka, Commander Islands, Chukotka, Kuril Islands and northeast Sakhalin. In this paper we mainly discuss the killer whale status on the eastern coast of Kamchatka, and give a brief review of available information regarding the killer whale status in other areas of the RFE. During the field seasons 2005-2006, a total of 434 individuals were identified in Avacha Gulf in at least three acoustic clans with different dialects. Most are resident-type fish-eating whales. Some transient-type marine mammal eating whales have also been recorded in Avacha Gulf and in other areas of the RFE. Transients as well as some residents show bites from the cookie cutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis) which may indicate long distance travel along the Asian coast or out to sea. To date, live captures have removed at least two subadult females from the Avacha Gulf residents. A live-capture quota of 6-10 killer whales in the RFE has been granted every year since 2002 (8 for 2007) although data remain inadequate to support this. The conflict between whales and fishermen in the Sea of Okhotsk due to killer whale depredation merits further study.
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
Alternate Webpage(s)	http://russianorca.com/Doc/Science/SC59SM4.pdf
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article