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SOUTHERN HUMPBACK WHALE STOCKS: IMPACT ON THEIR CONSERVATION AND HUNTNG
The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangaliae) is a large baleen whale species who has populations in most major oceans (Simona L. Perry, 1999). In this essay, Southern Hemisphere Humpback whale population stocks will be analysed, including biological aspects that will help to explain their basic physiology and behaviour. Southern Humpback Whales display specialised behaviour and physical attributes that maximise their ability to survive in their natural habitat. However, knowledge of these factors have allowed hunters to exploit the whales specific behaviour patterns, particularly with the distribution of stocks, which has led to large scale population crashes in Southern Humpback Whales (Findlay, 2001). This has led to attempts in conservation methods to protect this vulnerable species.
Humpback Whales have features in their physiology that are characteristic in their appearance. For example, they are relatively heavier than other whale species at up to 60 tonnes, at a body length of 15 metres (McGonigal & Woodworth, 2005). Humpbacks show reverse sexual dimorphism, with females being larger in size than males. Being a Baleen whale, the Southern humpback whale has no teeth, instead possessing baleen plates (Trewby, 2002) which filter smaller prey, with Antarctic krill(euphasia superba) being their primary source of food (Kawamura, 1994). This is shown by studies that have found high krill densities correlating with high Southern Humpback Whales. (Murase, 2002)Humpback whales are well known as ‘singing’ whales (McGonigal & Woodworth, 2005). The males have developed complex low frequency songs which can are used along with aggressive behaviour to compete for females.
Humpbacks make use of migration to get better conditions for feeding and breeding. They have a segregated migration pattern (Trewby, 2002) in which whales move between habitat zones depending on their...