Photographic Catalog of Humpback Whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska: 2006 - 2009, 2011-2012

Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) in Prince William Sound (PWS) have been classified as "not-recovered" by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. Predation by marine mammals has been cited as a factor in the failure of this population to rebound. We will assess the significance of humpback whale predation on herring in PWS, particularly in winter. Specifically we will estimate the number of whales foraging in winter, determine when and if there is a prey switch to herring, and how long whales focus on herring as prey. Year one was funded, small in scale with an intense monitoring strategy; year 2 would expand the scale up in area significantly. Year 3 will verify the impact on herring of the high numbers of humpback whales we observed in PWS during year 2. These data will be combined in a bioenergetic model to determine numbers of herring consumed (and energy content consumed). Lastly, the estimated numbers of herring consumed would be included in an age-structured model so that the significance of whale predation on herring recovery can be evaluated. Year 4 (2010) will close out the project with the completion of analysis, reports, and manuscripts. This data set focuses on the humpback whale surveys including survey effort, whale identification, photo quality, whale behavior, prey items and tissue samples.