Use and prevalence of novel bubble-net foraging strategy in Western Antarctic humpback whales

The innovation of new foraging strategies allows species to optimize their foraging in response to changing conditions. Humpback whales provide a good study species for this concept, as they utilize multiple novel foraging tactics across populations in diverse environments. Bubble-net feeding (BNF), commonly seen in the Northern Hemisphere, has emerged as a foraging innovation in the past 20 yr within the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Using sightings data from 2015–2023, we found that BNF was present in every study year, with an annual average of 30% of foraging sightings. This data was supplemented with 26 animal-born tags deployed over the same study period. Of these tags, 12 detected instances of BNF, making up an average of 19% of the foraging tactics detected. There were seasonal trends in BNF sightings, as it was observed significantly more often at the beginning of the feeding season (January) before declining. BNF group sizes (mean: 3.41) were significantly larger than non-BNF su..., , , GENERAL INFORMATION

```
1. Title: Use and prevalence of novel bubble-net foraging strategy in Western Antarctic humpback whales

2. Co-authors: Jenny A. Allen*, Ross C. Nichols, Logan J. Pallin, David W. Johnston, Ari S. Friedlaender
*contact: [e-mail]

3. Data collection: Western Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica (2015-2023)

4. Funding sources: the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs (Postdoctoral Fellowship 2218949 and Grants 1643877, ANT-07-39483, 1250208, and 1440435), the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research Program (Grants 1440435 and 2026045), the Winifred Violet Scott Trust, the National Geographic Society (NGS-909906R-21), the Marine Mammal Commission, World Wide Fund for Nature–Australia (WWF–Australia), The International Whaling Commission’s Southern Ocean Research Partnership (P0710, 0711-02), the US Biological Adaptations to Environmental Change in Antarctica, the Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research (SCAR)

5. Data citation: A...