Differences in the functional use of two migratory stopovers by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Humpback whale migration between tropical breeding grounds and polar feeding grounds is an energy-intensive activity undertaken on finite energy stores. The use of stopover sites to rest reduces energetic expenditure and provides enhanced opportunity for calves to nurse during migration. Moreton Bay is a newly identified migratory stopover for Australia’s east coast humpback whale population. Understanding the functional roles of stopovers is essential for a holistic understanding of population dynamics and connectivity. Therefore, contextualising the significance of Moreton Bay relative to a well-established stopover like Hervey Bay can provide valuable insights into their functional roles within the broader migratory network, helping to inform targeted conservation efforts. To investigate this, we conducted a total of 865km of systematic, boat-based line transects across the two distinct geographical regions during temporally staggered periods (August and September – October) of the 2..., This data was collected using randomly placed systematic line transects onboard a 7-meter research vessel. The vessel transited along these transect lines at a speed of ~8 knots, and humpback whale sightings were collected using the Distance sampling methodology. Briefly, these notes the distance and angle of the sighting relative to the vessel's center line. Both on effort (sighting made whilst on transect) and off-effort (sightings made whilst the vessel was going between transects/sightings/start-point), sightings were collected and noted. Sightings were then used to build density surface models. This was done in R using the packages \"distance\" and \"dsm\"., , # Differences in the functional use of two migratory stopovers by humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*)”

1. Co-authors: Raphael Mayaud*, Joshua N. Smith, David Peel, Craig Wilson, Wally Franklin, Tim Stevens, and Susan Bengtson Nash
*contact: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])
2. Data collection: Queensland, Australia (2021)
3. Data citation: Mayaud, Raphael; Smith, Joshua, N.; Peel, David et al. (2025). Differences in the functional use of two migratory stopovers by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) [Dataset]. Dryad. [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw71g](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw71g)

## DATA OVERVIEW

The data consists of raw data collected from boat-based line transects during the field season in 2021. Two study regions were sampled, and each region had two different survey areas (1 & 2 for one region and A & B for the second region). There are two Excel tabs: the effort data (data regarding transect effort) an...,