A collaborative and near-comprehensive North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID dataset

Ted Cheeseman^{1

2}, Ken Southerland³, Jo Marie Acebes⁴, Katherina Audley⁵, Jay Barlow⁶, Lars Bejder⁷, Caitlin Birdsall^{8

9}, Amanda L Bradford¹⁰, Josie K Byington¹¹, John Calambokidis¹², Rachel Cartwright¹³, Jen Cedarleaf¹⁴, Andrea Jacqueline García Chavez⁵, Jens J Currie¹⁵, Joëlle De Weerdt¹⁶, Nicole Doe⁸, Thomas Doniol-Valcroze¹⁷, Karina Dracott^{9

18}, Olga Filatova¹⁹, Rachel Finn²⁰, Kiirsten Flynn¹², John K B Ford¹⁷, Astrid Frisch-Jordán²¹, Christine M Gabriele^{22

23}, Beth Goodwin²⁴, Craig Hayslip²⁵, Jackie Hildering⁸, Marie C Hill^{10

26}, Jeff K Jacobsen²⁷, M Esther Jiménez-López²⁸, Meagan Jones²⁹, Nozomi Kobayashi³⁰, Edward Lyman²⁰, Mark Malleson³¹, Evgeny Mamaev³², Pamela Martínez Loustalot³³, Annie Masterman³⁴, Craig Matkin³⁵, Christie J McMillan^{8

17}, Jeff E Moore⁶, John R Moran³⁴, Janet L Neilson²², Hayley Newell³, Haruna Okabe³⁰, Marilia Olio³, Adam A Pack^{36

37}, Daniel M Palacios^{25

38}, Heidi C Pearson¹⁴, Ester Quintana-Rizzo³⁹, Raul Fernando Ramírez Barragán⁵, Nicola Ransome⁴⁰, Hiram Rosales-Nanduca²⁸, Fred Sharpe⁴¹, Tasli Shaw³¹, Stephanie H Stack¹⁵, Iain Staniland⁴², Jan Straley¹⁴, Andrew Szabo⁴¹, Suzie Teerlink⁴³, Olga Titova⁴⁴, Jorge Urban R³³, Martin van Aswegen¹⁹, Marcel Vinicius de Morais³, Olga von Ziegesar⁴⁵, Briana Witteveen⁴⁶, Janie Wray¹⁸, Kymberly M Yano^{10

26}, Denny Zwiefelhofer³, Phil Clapham⁴⁷

Affiliations

¹ Happywhale, Santa Cruz, California, USA. ted@happywhale.com.
² Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia. ted@happywhale.com.
³ Happywhale, Santa Cruz, California, USA.
⁴ BALYENA.ORG, Jagna, Philippines.
⁵ Whales of Guerrero, Barra de Potosí, Mexico.
⁶ NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, San Diego, California, USA.
⁷ Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Kaneohe, Hawai'i, USA.
⁸ Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada.
⁹ Ocean Wise, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
¹⁰ NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA.
¹¹ Pacific Wildlife Foundation, Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada.
¹² Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, Washington, USA.
¹³ Keiki Kohola Project, Delray Beach, Hawai'i, USA.
¹⁴ University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska, USA.
¹⁵ Pacific Whale Foundation, Maui, Hawai'i, USA.
¹⁶ Association ELI-S, Gujan-Mestras, France.
¹⁷ Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.
¹⁸ North Coast Cetacean Society, Hartley Bay, British Columbia, Canada.
¹⁹ University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
²⁰ NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, USA.
²¹ Ecología y Conservación de Ballenas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
²² Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Gustavus, Alaska, USA.
²³ Hawai'i Marine Mammal Consortium, Kamuela, Hawai'i, USA.
²⁴ Eye of the Whale Marine Mammal Research, Kamuela, Hawai'i, USA.
²⁵ Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, USA.
²⁶ Cooperative Institution of Marine and Atmospheric Research, Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA.
²⁷ VE Enterprises, Arcata, California, USA.
²⁸ Departamento Académico de Ingeniería en Pesquerías, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México.
²⁹ Whale Trust, Puunene, Hawai'i, USA.
³⁰ Okinawa Churashima Foundation, Kunigami-gun, Japan.
³¹ Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada.
³² Commander Islands National Park, Kamchatka Krai, Russian Federation.
³³ Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Mexico.
³⁴ NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Juneau, Alaska, USA.
³⁵ North Gulf Oceanic Society, Homer, Alaska, USA.
³⁶ University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Hilo, Hawai'i, USA.
³⁷ The Dolphin Institute, Hilo, Hawai'i, USA.
³⁸ Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, USA.
³⁹ Emmanuel College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
⁴⁰ Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁴¹ Alaska Whale Foundation, Petersburg, Alaska, USA.
⁴² International Whaling Commission, Impington, UK.
⁴³ NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office, Juneau, Alaska, USA.
⁴⁴ Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow, Russian Federation.
⁴⁵ Winged Whale Research, Homer, Alaska, USA.
⁴⁶ University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA.
⁴⁷ Seastar Scientific, Vashon Island, Washington, USA.

PMID: 37353581
PMCID: PMC10290149
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36928-1

A collaborative and near-comprehensive North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID dataset

Ted Cheeseman et al. Sci Rep. 2023.

. 2023 Jun 23;13(1):10237.

doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-36928-1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Happywhale, Santa Cruz, California, USA. ted@happywhale.com.
² Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia. ted@happywhale.com.
³ Happywhale, Santa Cruz, California, USA.
⁴ BALYENA.ORG, Jagna, Philippines.
⁵ Whales of Guerrero, Barra de Potosí, Mexico.
⁶ NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, San Diego, California, USA.
⁷ Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Kaneohe, Hawai'i, USA.
⁸ Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada.
⁹ Ocean Wise, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
¹⁰ NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA.
¹¹ Pacific Wildlife Foundation, Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada.
¹² Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, Washington, USA.
¹³ Keiki Kohola Project, Delray Beach, Hawai'i, USA.
¹⁴ University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska, USA.
¹⁵ Pacific Whale Foundation, Maui, Hawai'i, USA.
¹⁶ Association ELI-S, Gujan-Mestras, France.
¹⁷ Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.
¹⁸ North Coast Cetacean Society, Hartley Bay, British Columbia, Canada.
¹⁹ University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
²⁰ NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, USA.
²¹ Ecología y Conservación de Ballenas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
²² Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Gustavus, Alaska, USA.
²³ Hawai'i Marine Mammal Consortium, Kamuela, Hawai'i, USA.
²⁴ Eye of the Whale Marine Mammal Research, Kamuela, Hawai'i, USA.
²⁵ Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, USA.
²⁶ Cooperative Institution of Marine and Atmospheric Research, Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA.
²⁷ VE Enterprises, Arcata, California, USA.
²⁸ Departamento Académico de Ingeniería en Pesquerías, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México.
²⁹ Whale Trust, Puunene, Hawai'i, USA.
³⁰ Okinawa Churashima Foundation, Kunigami-gun, Japan.
³¹ Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada.
³² Commander Islands National Park, Kamchatka Krai, Russian Federation.
³³ Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Mexico.
³⁴ NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Juneau, Alaska, USA.
³⁵ North Gulf Oceanic Society, Homer, Alaska, USA.
³⁶ University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Hilo, Hawai'i, USA.
³⁷ The Dolphin Institute, Hilo, Hawai'i, USA.
³⁸ Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, USA.
³⁹ Emmanuel College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
⁴⁰ Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁴¹ Alaska Whale Foundation, Petersburg, Alaska, USA.
⁴² International Whaling Commission, Impington, UK.
⁴³ NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office, Juneau, Alaska, USA.
⁴⁴ Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow, Russian Federation.
⁴⁵ Winged Whale Research, Homer, Alaska, USA.
⁴⁶ University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA.
⁴⁷ Seastar Scientific, Vashon Island, Washington, USA.

PMID: 37353581
PMCID: PMC10290149
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36928-1

Abstract

We present an ocean-basin-scale dataset that includes tail fluke photographic identification (photo-ID) and encounter data for most living individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset was built through a broad collaboration combining 39 separate curated photo-ID catalogs, supplemented with community science data. Data from throughout the North Pacific were aggregated into 13 regions, including six breeding regions, six feeding regions, and one migratory corridor. All images were compared with minimal pre-processing using a recently developed image recognition algorithm based on machine learning through artificial intelligence; this system is capable of rapidly detecting matches between individuals with an estimated 97-99% accuracy. For the 2001-2021 study period, a total of 27,956 unique individuals were documented in 157,350 encounters. Each individual was encountered, on average, in 5.6 sampling periods (i.e., breeding and feeding seasons), with an annual average of 87% of whales encountered in more than one season. The combined dataset and image recognition tool represents a living and accessible resource for collaborative, basin-wide studies of a keystone marine mammal in a time of rapid ecological change.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Happywhale simplified data process and elements. Processes (in teal) of user creation, media upload, submission processing and accessibility lead to creation of elements (in gray) of users, organizations, submissions, and curated data.

**Figure 2**
All North Pacific humpback whale encounters and migratory connections as viewable in Happywhale map view for all data collected through August 2022. Numbers in blue circles are counts of individual encounters aggregated by area, while the humpback whale icon represents a single encounter. Blue lines and arrows represent migratory connections of whales sighted in more than one location, not actual travel paths. Map created using Happywhale, built on a basemap reproduced with permission from Maptiler (www.maptiler.com) and OpenStreetMap (www.openstreetmap.org).

**Figure 3**
Discovery curve of cumulative number of North Pacific individual humpback whales versus cumulative number of encounters for all data collected through August 2022. Each dot represents one month of effort. The 2004 through 2006 SPLASH study resulted in a large increase in known whales during the study’s three years. From 2017 forward, at 101,000 cumulative encounters, the annual number of individuals identified matched or exceeded SPLASH annual sample sizes, yet the cumulative number of individuals increased by an average of only 5% annually, compared to 21% during SPLASH.

**Figure 4**
Cumulative individual identifications over time for the number of uniquely identified individual humpback whales documented in the North Pacific for all available photo-ID records collected through August 2022. Dates refer to the time when whales were photographed. Field effort during the 2004–2006 SPLASH study, highlighted in light blue, resulted in a steep increase in the total number of individuals identified.

**Figure 5**
Humpback whale photo-ID data collections by region across the North Pacific Ocean. Region boundaries are indicated by dashed lines, with numbering that corresponds with Table 3. Data for each region includes: a symbol indicating feeding, breeding, or migratory corridor, E: a count of all encounters (trimmed to one encounter per individual per season) documented in each region, I: a total count of individuals documented in each region, M: the percentage of individuals encountered in more than one sampling season, and R: the percentage of data sourced from research collaborators versus community science. Map created with Adobe Illustrator 27.5 on an open source basemap from Freepik.com.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Karczmarski L, Chan SCY, Rubenstein DI, Chui SYS, Cameron EZ. Individual identification and photographic techniques in mammalian ecological and behavioural research—Part 1: Methods and concepts. Mamm. Biol. 2022;102:545–549. doi: 10.1007/s42991-022-00319-2. - DOI
1. Clapham PJ, Mead JG. Megaptera novaeangliae. Mamm. Species. 1999;3:1–9.
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1. Calambokidis J, et al. Movements and population structure of humpback whales in the North Pacific. Mar. Mammal Sci. 2001;17:769–794. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2001.tb01298.x. - DOI
1. Chittleborough RG. Dynamics of two populations of the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski) Mar. Freshw. Res. 1965;16:33–128. doi: 10.1071/MF9650033. - DOI

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A collaborative and near-comprehensive North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID dataset

Affiliations

A collaborative and near-comprehensive North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID dataset

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Miscellaneous