Herring schooling manoeuvres in response to killer whale attacks

The antipredator behaviour of overwintering Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus L.) was investigated during repeated attacks by killer whales (Orcinus orca L.) in Tysfjord in northwestern Norway. The observations were made using a high-resolution (455 kHz) multibeam sonar. Ten different types of predator-prey interactions were recorded during 54 observed events (an average of one antipredator event every 3.9 min). Antipredator responses included "split," "hourglass," "vacuole," "bend," "dive," "herd," and "fountain." Large attacked schools demonstrated a different repertoire of antipredator manoeuvres than small ones and were less likely to be attacked. Despite being located in the vicinity of the whales, herring schools with a cross section exceeding 460 m2 were not attacked by killer whales. Attacked schools were significantly more circular (p < 0.0001) and had higher relative densities (p < 0.05) than schools that were not attacked.

[1]  A. Slotte,et al.  Differential utilization of energy during wintering and spawning migration in Norwegian spring-spawning herring , 1999 .

[2]  W. Hamilton.  Geometry for the selfish herd. , 1971, Journal of theoretical biology.

[3]  Magnar Aksland,et al.  Schooling dynamics of norwegian spring spawning herring (Clupea harengus L.) in a coastal spawning area , 1996 .

[4]  J. Parrish.  Do Predators 'Shape' Fish Schools: Interactions Between Predators and Their Schooling Prey , 1991 .

[5]  Paolo Domenici,et al.  Escape behaviour of solitary herring (Clupea harengus ) and comparisons with schooling individuals , 1997 .

[6]  L. Nøttestad,et al.  Await in the pelagic: herring compromising reproduction and survival within a vertically split school , 1998 .

[7]  Ole Arve Misund,et al.  Adaptive behaviour of herring schools in the Norwegian Sea as revealed by high-resolution sonar , 1996 .

[8]  D. MacLennan,et al.  Fisheries acoustics , 2004, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries.

[9]  Åge Jonsgård,et al.  A contribution to the knowledge of the biology of the killer whale (Orcinus orca) , 1969 .

[10]  S. L. Lima,et al.  Randomness, chaos and confusion in the study of antipredator vigilance. , 1998, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[11]  L. Dill,et al.  The behavior of Pacific herring schools in response to artificial humpback whale bubbles , 1997 .

[12]  T. Pitcher,et al.  Predator-avoidance behaviours of sand-eel schools: why schools seldom split , 1983 .

[13]  Paolo Domenici,et al.  Escape manoeuvres of schooling Clupea harengus , 1994 .

[14]  C. S. Wardle,et al.  Predator evasion in a fish school: test of a model for the fountain effect , 1986 .

[15]  C. Breder.  Equations Descriptive of Fish Schools and Other Animal Aggregations , 1954 .

[16]  Kenneth G. Foote,et al.  Acoustic abundance estimation of wintering Norwegian spring spawning herring, with emphasis on methodological aspects , 1994 .

[17]  E. Ona,et al.  Tilt angle distribution and swimming speed of overwintering Norwegian spring spawning herring , 1996 .

[18]  I. Christensen,et al.  Occurrence and diet of killer whales in northern Norway: seasonal patterns relative to the distribution and abundance of Norwegian spring-spawning herring , 1996 .

[19]  Ole Arve Misund,et al.  Migration behaviour of norwegian spring spawning herring when entering the cold front in the Norwegian Sea , 1997 .

[20]  Rune Vabø,et al.  An individual based model of fish school reactions: predicting antipredator behaviour as observed in nature , 1997 .

[21]  A review of variability in the distribution and abundance of Norwegian spring spawning herring and Barents Sea capelin , 1990 .

[22]  R. W. Baird,et al.  Occurrence and behaviour of transient killer whales: seasonal and pod-specific variability, foraging behaviour, and prey handling , 1995 .

[23]  L. Nøttestad.  Extensive gas bubble release in Norwegian spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) during predator avoidance , 1998 .

[24]  Ole Arve Misund,et al.  Mapping the shape, size, and density of fish schools by echo integration and a high-resolution sonar , 1995 .

[25]  Ole Arve Misund,et al.  Dynamics of moving masses: variability in packing density, shape, and size among herring, sprat, and saithe schools , 1993 .

[26]  Christophe Guinet,et al.  A VIDEO SONAR AS A NEW TOOL TO STUDY MARINE MAMMALS IN THE WILD: MEASUREMENTS OF DOLPHIN SWIMMING SPEED , 1997 .

[27]  Kenneth S. Norris,et al.  Dolphin societies : discoveries and puzzles , 1991 .

[28]  T. Pitcher.  Functions of Shoaling Behaviour in Teleosts , 1986 .

[29]  Fernando Ugarte,et al.  Surface and underwater observations of cooperatively feeding killer whales in northern Norway , 1993 .

[30]  Anders Fernö,et al.  Marine fish behaviour in capture and abundance estimation , 1994 .

[31]  T. Similä,et al.  Sonar observations of killer whales (Orcinus orca) feeding on herring schools , 1997 .