A note on the route and speed of a gray whale on its northern migration from Mexico to central California, tracked by satellite-monitored radio tag

A gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) tracked with an Argos satellite-monitored radio tag travelled 1,794km during the northbound migration season from San Ignacio Lagoon (SIL), Baja California Sur, Mexico to north of San Francisco from 8-23 February 1996. The migration route was predominately nearsh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of cetacean research and management 2003-01, Vol.5 (2), p.155-157
Main Authors: Mate, B R, Urban-Ramirez, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cetacea
Eschrichtius robustus
Marine
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:A gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) tracked with an Argos satellite-monitored radio tag travelled 1,794km during the northbound migration season from San Ignacio Lagoon (SIL), Baja California Sur, Mexico to north of San Francisco from 8-23 February 1996. The migration route was predominately nearshore and in water < 100m deep, with 75% of the Argos-acquired locations averaging 7.3 plus or minus 1.22km from shore. Distances > 20km from shore and water depths > 100m were encountered only when the whale crossed Vizcaino Bay or through the Channel Islands. During migration, the whale maintained an average speed of 5.6km h super(-1), suggesting a coastal migration of 49 days from SIL to the Bering Sea.
ISSN:1561-0713