Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) population identity in the western Mediterranean Sea

Archival bottom-mounted audio recorders were deployed in nine different areas of the western Mediterranean Sea, Strait of Gibraltar, and adjacent North Atlantic waters during 2006–2009 to study fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) seasonalpresenceandpopulationstructure.Analysisof29,822recordinghoursrevealed typical long, patterned sequences of 20 Hz notes (here called “song”), back-beats, 135–140 Hz notes, and downsweeps. Acoustic parameters (internote interval, note duration, frequency range, center and peak frequencies) were statistically compared amongsongsandsongnotesrecordedinallareas.Finwhalesingersproducingsongs attributable to the northeastern North Atlantic subpopulation were detected crossing the Strait of Gibraltar and wintering in the southwestern Mediterranean Sea (Alboran basin), while songs attributed to the Mediterranean were detected in the northwest Mediterranean basin. These results suggest that the northeastern North Atlantic fin whale distribution extends into the southwest Mediterranean basin, and spatial and temporal overlap may exist between this subpopulation and the Mediterranean subpopulation. This new interpretation of the fin whale population

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