Prince William Sound Killer Whale Satellite Telemetry Data, 2004 to 2016, Gulf Watch Alaska Pelagic Component

These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA), Pelagic Component of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, project numbers 12120114-M, 13120114-M, 14120114-M, 15120114-M and 16120114-M. Gulf Watch Alaska is the long-term ecosystem monitoring program of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council for the marine ecosystem affected by the 1989 oil spill. This dataset is a number of comma-sepearetd values (csv) files which describe locations received from satellite tags deployed on killer whales in Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords during the years 2004-2014. Locations were calculated by the ARGOS system, and the resulting output is listed in these .xls spreadsheets. The resident killer whale is a genetically and behaviorally distinct ecotype of killer whale (Orcinus orca) that feeds primarily on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Details regarding habitat use have been inferred by boat surveys, but are subject to effort bias and weather limitations. To investigate use of habitat, 33 resident killer whales representing 14 pods in the Northern Gulf of Alaska were tagged with satellite transmitters from 2004 to 2014, and transmissions were received during the months of June to January. Core use areas were identified through utilization distributions using a biased Brownian Bridge movement model. Distinct shifts in these core use areas were revealed that are highly specific to season and pod. In June, July, and August, the waters of Hinchinbrook Entrance and west of Kayak Island were primary areas used, mainly by the AB, AI, and AJ pods. These same pods shifted their focus to Montague Strait in August, September, and October. Port Gravina was a focal area for the AD16 and AK pods in June, July, and August, but this was not the case in later months. AK and AD16 pods were responsible for seven of eight documented trips into the deeper fjords of Prince William Sound, though these fjords were not a focus for most groups. These temporal shifts in habitat use are likely a response to the seasonal returns of salmon, though details on specific migration routes and timing for these fishes are limited. We found strong seasonal and pod-specific shifts in patterns among core use areas. Future research should investigate pod differences in diet composition and relationships between core area use and bathymetry.

本数据集隶属于阿拉斯加海湾观察计划（Gulf Watch Alaska, GWA）下属的埃克森瓦尔迪兹漏油索赔理事会（Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council）远洋组分，对应项目编号为12120114-M、13120114-M、14120114-M、15120114-M及16120114-M。阿拉斯加海湾观察计划是埃克森瓦尔迪兹漏油索赔理事会针对1989年漏油事件受影响海洋生态系统所设立的长期生态系统监测项目。

本数据集包含若干逗号分隔值（comma-separated values, CSV）文件，记录了2004至2014年间，在威廉王子湾与基奈峡湾部署于虎鲸身上的卫星标签所传回的定位数据。定位数据由ARGOS系统计算生成，最终结果收录于这些.xls电子表格中。

居留型虎鲸是虎鲸（Orcinus orca）中一类在遗传与行为上均具有显著差异的生态型，主要以太平洋鲑鱼（Oncorhynchus spp.）为食。此前通过船只调查推断其栖息地利用模式，但该方法受调查强度偏差与天气条件限制。

为探究其栖息地利用特征，研究团队于2004至2014年间，为阿拉斯加湾北部14个鲸群的33头居留型虎鲸部署了卫星发射器，信号接收时段为每年6月至次年1月。通过有偏布朗桥运动模型（biased Brownian Bridge movement model）计算利用分布，以此识别核心栖息区域。研究发现，核心栖息区域存在显著的季节与鲸群特异性偏移。

在6、7、8月，欣钦布鲁克水道入口及凯岛以西海域为主要活动区域，主要由AB、AI及AJ鲸群使用。同年8至10月，这些鲸群的活动重心转移至蒙塔古海峡。6至8月期间，AD16与AK鲸群的核心活动区域为格拉维纳港，但该区域在后续月份不再是其活动重点。AK与AD16鲸群完成了威廉王子湾8个已知峡湾探访中的7次，不过多数鲸群并未将这些峡湾作为活动焦点。

这类栖息地利用的季节性变化可能是对鲑鱼季节性洄游的响应，但目前关于这些鱼类具体洄游路线与时间的细节信息仍较为有限。本研究揭示了核心栖息区域存在显著的季节与鲸群特异性变化模式。未来研究可聚焦于不同鲸群的饮食组成差异，以及核心区域利用与水深地形（bathymetry）之间的关联。