# Presentation: 372122

## Recovery of Hawaiian humpback whale sighting and movement data

**Recovery of Hawaiian humpback whale sighting and movement data**

**Dr. Debra Palka and Dan Smith**
***National Marine Fisheries Service***
**Dr. Peter Tyack**
***Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution***
**Woods Hole, MA 02543**

## Scientific Rationale

**Scientific Rationale**

**Off Maui, Tyack’s team used a theodolite (surveyor’s transit) to collect data on locations, tracks, and behaviors of endangered humpback whales and ships during the mating seasons (Jan-Apr) of 1979-81.**
**One of the first extensive, multi-year studies of humpback whale occurrence and behavior in the Hawaiian Islands.**
**Many researchers have replicated this methodology in the same area over the last 25 years.**
**In 1997, the area was designated as part of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.**
**The Tyack study would provide an historical perspective on how changes in climate, habitat, and shipping traffic influence humpback whale behavior and distribution in their breeding grounds.**

## General Approach for Project

**General Approach for Project**

**Data from handwritten records would need to be keyed into a standardized spreadsheet format**
**Data fill 14 handwritten books, each about 150 pages**
**Total about 2,100 pages**
**For QC, the data should be double-keyed in the blind, cross-checked by the contractors, and then checked against the data books by the PI’s.**
**Could be completed within one year (FY07)**
**Once completed, data set made accessible on the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary website. **

## Specific tasks

**Sample page of data**
**Record type ****(comment, whale, boat:  determined from context)**
**Date**
**Time**
**Animal(s) ids**
**Number of animals**
**Compass bearings**

## Sample of format for keyed data

**COMMENT    2/21/81  8:40:20 GS IS ON A 2+ WHALES                                                     **
**COMMENT    2/21/81  8:42:36 GS, JD ON A, 2HU,BS,OM                                                   **
**COMMENT    2/21/81  8:50:10 TRANSIT ZEROED                                                                **
**WHALE      2/21/81  8:53:14 B       0  92  6 12 275 41 36**
**WHALE      2/21/81  8:55:43 C       2  90 29 25 323  1 50**
**WHALE      2/21/81  8:57:46 A       2+ 90 35 28 322  4 34**
**WHALE      2/21/81  8:58:24 C       0  90 29 33 322 29 28**
**COMMENT    2/21/81  8:58:52 WW IN A                                                                 **
**WHALE      2/21/81  8:59: 3 A       0  90 34 50 321 52 59**
**COMMENT    2/21/81  8:59:40 GS RPTS UB,VS IN A                                                       **
**COMMENT    2/21/81  9: 0: 1 JD RPTS SURFACINGS ARE RELATIVELY CALM                                    **
**WHALE      2/21/81  9: 0:49 A       0  90 34 20 322  1 39**
**COMMENT    2/21/81  9: 3:20 RO,BR IN C                                                               **
**WHALE      2/21/81  9: 3:55 C       0  90 29 19 321 26 42**

## Example of a messy page

## Specific Tasks

**Specific Tasks**

**What we (the PI’s) would do:**
**Provide the data books (available for immediate shipping)**
**Provide guidance to contractor as to how to interpret the handwritten format**
**Quality check the keyed-in data**
**What the contractor would do:**
**Key in hand-written data fields**

## CDMP Proposal Evaluation Criteria

**Supports NOAA’s Strategic Goals**
**The Sanctuary’s goal is to promote comprehensive and coordinated management, research, education, and long-term monitoring for the endangered humpback whale and its habitat.  **
**Value to climate community**
**Data will allow investigations of how changes in climate, habitat, and shipping traffic are associated with changes in the distribution and behavior of humpback whales on their breeding grounds.**
**Cost effectiveness**
**Though not a big keying project, original data collection was considerable (multiple boats and observers over three seasons)**
**Impact of having these data easily available will be large**