304 
Fishery Bulletin 99(2) 
Figure 1 
Photograph of the suction-cup-attached time-depth recorder and VHF radio tag ready to be deployed 
from a crossbow. 
CROSSBOW 
ticallv from a 12-m sailing vessel, operated under power at 
speeds of 1-4 knots. 
The biopsy dart had a 2.5-cm-long, 0.6-cm-diameter cy- 
lindrical punch fitted with a dental broach (a barbed fila- 
ment to hold a sample in place) (as illustrated in Barrett- 
Lennard et ah, 1996), attached to the end of a standard 
crossbow bolt (total weight 28.5 g). A cylindrical stopper, 
set 2.5 cm back from the tip of the punch, caused the bolt 
to rebound after impact with the whale. Bolts were fired 
from a 67-kg-draw crossbow (Barnett WildCat XL) at a 
range of 5-15 m. Samples were usually taken from the 
flank near the dorsal fin. The floating dart was recovered 
and the skin and blubber sample was removed. The tis- 
sue was then subsampled for various analyses requiring 
either skin or blubber or both. The gender of the biopsied 
whales in this study was determined genetically (Gowans 
et ah, 2000). 
The tag measured 20 x 4 x 5 cm and had a 40-cm flex- 
ible antenna. The foam housing of the tag contained a time- 
depth recorder (Wildlife Computers, Redmond, WA, or AGO 
Environmental Electronics, Victoria, BC) and a VHF radio- 
transmitter (Advanced Telemetry Systems, Isanti, MN, or 
Telonics, Mesa, AZ). An 8-cm-diameter rubber suction cup 
(designed for automobile roof-racks, Canadian Tire) was 
used to attach the tag. The total unit weighed approxi- 
mately 340 g in air. Tags were attached to a modified cross- 
bow bolt (weight approximately 25 g) and were deployed 
with the same crossbow as described above (Fig. 1). 
The group size and behavioral state of the whales prior 
to the biopsy darting or tagging attempt were noted. 
Group size was defined as the number of animals at the 
surface within five body lengths of each other (chain rule, 
see Smolker et ah, 1992). Behavioral state was assigned 
as either logging (lying still or moving slowly in one direc- 
tion at the surface) or milling or traveling (milling — mov- 
ing slowly in no consistent direction; traveling — moving in 
a consistent direction at greater than 2 knots). Whenever 
possible, each tag or biopsy attempt was videotaped and 
this recording was used to confirm the consistency of be- 
havioral categories assigned by different observers in the 
field for both before tagging attempt behavior and reac- 
tion. Attempts were classified as a hit or a miss; a hit was 
defined as contact with the whale and hits were further 
subdivided as to whether they were successful, i.e. wheth- 
er biopsies obtained a sample or whether tags remained 
attached to the whale for more than 30 seconds. Sea state 
(Beaufort scale) was recorded every hour; sea state at the 
time of the biopsy or tag attempt was interpolated from 
these hourly logs. Categories of reaction types were de- 
fined following Weinrich et al. (1991): 
1 No reaction: whale continued to show the same behav- 
ior as before the biopsy or tagging attempt; 
2 Low-level reaction: whale modified its behavior slightly, 
e.g. dived rapidly or flinched; 
3 Moderate reaction: whale modified its behavior in a 
more forceful manner but gave no prolonged evidence 
of behavioral disturbance, e.g. tad slap, acceleration, 
and rapid dive; 
4 Strong reaction: whale modified its behavior in a succes- 
sion of forceful activities, e.g. successive percussive be- 
haviors (breaches, tail slaps). 
