Humpback Whales in the Northwestern Atlantic 
Participants in the Commission's September 1979 workshop 
on East Coast cetaceans noted that: concentrations of 
humpback whales appear to center around Cape Cod, Stellwagen 
Bank, Jeffrey's Ledge, the Great South Channel between Cape 
Cod and George's Bank, the northeastern peak of George's 
Bank, and the entrance to the Bay of Fundy near Passamaquoddy 
Bay during the summer months; they are occasionally entangled 
in fish weirs and gillnets along the New England Coast; 
seines and lobster set lines have entangled whales off 
Nova Scotia and Newfoundland; and, subsistence fisheries 
in Greenland and Bequia take about twenty humpbacks each 
year. They further noted that the subsistence and incidental 
take, when combined with mortalities from other sources, may 
be inhibiting the recovery of the species. The group recommended 
that: (1) existing population estimates and data be re- 
analyzed; (2) historical data, including whalers' logbooks, 
be compiled and analyzed; (3) aerial and shipboard surveys 
be continued and expanded to better determine habitat use 
and migration patterns; (4) surveys be undertaken to determine 
the levels and effects of incidental take; and (5) tagging 
methodology be developed to facilitate assessment of migration 
patterns, habitat requirements, and population size. The 
workshop report (see Appendix B) was reviewed by the Commission, 
in consultation with its Committee of Scientific Advisors, 
and used to develop a preliminary research plan. 
To implement the plan, the Commission contracted 
for a compilation and evaluation of existing data 
concerning cetaceans in the Cape Cod-Massachusetts Bay area 
and drafted scopes of work for the "Eastport" survey and the 
humpback whale workshop, all of which are described in 
Chapter II. To save money by combining the "Eastport" 
survey with the National Marine Fisheries Service's harbor 
porpoise survey, the Commission proposed a transfer of funds 
which would vest management of both projects in the National 
Marine Fisheries Service. The Service agreed, and the two 
agencies concluded agreements concerning the "Eastport 
survey and the humpback whale workshop in July (see Chapter 
II). The survey work was started in June 1980 and, under 
the terms of the agreement with the Commission, will be 
continued by the Service until such time as the desired 
information has been acquired, provided funds are available. 
The humpback whale workshop was held on 17-21 November 1980, 
and the report, which will be used to develop a recovery 
plan for the Northwestern Atlantic population of humpback 
whales, is expected in early 1981. 
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