| "The biggest surprise, was our level of success in collecting the data." | |
| David Mattila, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary |
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For scientists trying to understand, manage, and protect humpback whales, the animal’s ability to use an entire ocean basin as its home may seem an insurmountable challenge in using an ecosystem-based management approach. But this obstacle has turned to opportunity over the past three years as over 300 researchers from around the North Pacific Ocean have joined together to undertake the largest whale study ever attempted.
The resulting SPLASH Project—Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance, and Status of Humpbacks—will help researchers and resource managers from the U.S., Mexico, Central America, Canada, Asia, and Russia better understand the structure, status, and trends of the humpback whale population, as well as potential human impacts.
"People wonder why we’re talking about this as an ecosystem study when we’re only looking at one species," says David Mattila, science and rescue coordinator for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. "What we’re doing is basically looking at one species across an entire ecosystem."
Mattila is one of a group of researchers who conceived of the idea of the international cooperative research effort and then helped bring the researchers and resources together. He notes that researchers throughout the North Pacific were already conducting an "admirable amount of work, but it wasn’t coordinated."
The SPLASH effort consisted of creating a 15-member steering committee and assigning regional coordinators to organize teams of researchers and volunteers. He notes that Hawaii had eight different research teams.
SPLASH was started in 2004 and was designed to be conducted over three winters and two summers, ending in winter 2006. The teams of researchers used consistent sampling methods, such as photo identification and biopsy tissue samples, in humpback whale feeding and wintering areas across the North Pacific.
While it will probably take a decade for the analysis of SPLASH data to be complete, Mattila says, among other initiatives, the information collected will be used as part of an upcoming humpback whale health assessment workshop and will lead to continued collaboration and cooperation among international researchers.
"The biggest surprise," says Mattila, "was our level of success in collecting the data. We have acquired more photos and bio-tissue samples than we even suspected we might be able to."
The results of SPLASH will help fisheries managers assess the recovery of humpback whales, which are currently listed as an endangered species, even helping to identify segments of the whale population where recovery is better or worse. Resource managers also will be able to better manage and protect whale habitat, and coordinate management efforts along migration routes.
"I’m a whale guy, but I have to believe that any ocean migratory species could benefit from this type of international collaboration," Mattila says. "I don’t claim to know about turtles, tuna, and seabirds, but there’s a role for this kind of approach for most migratory species."
For more information on SPLASH, point your browser to http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/research/research.html. You may also contact David Mattila at (808) 879-2818 or David.Mattila@noaa.gov.
