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Understanding the reproductive ecology of humpback whales for their conservation plan in Okinawa Waters

Research Project

Project/Area Number 19K16239
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section Basic Section 45040:Ecology and environment-related
Research InstitutionOkinawa Churashima Foundation

Principal Investigator

Kobayashi Nozomi  一般財団法人沖縄美ら島財団(総合研究センター), 総合研究センター 動物研究室, 主任研究員 (40774401)

Project Period (FY) 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Keywordsザトウクジラ / 繁殖生態 / 回帰率 / 出産率 / ソング日周変動 / 衛星発信器 / 沖縄 / 西部北太平洋 / 海域間交流 / 地域貢献 / 沖縄海域
Outline of Research at the Start

沖縄を含む西部北太平洋系群のザトウクジラは、資源の枯渇、基礎的情報不足との理由から絶滅危惧に指定されている。ザトウクジラの資源回復を目指す上では、本種の繁殖生態に基づいた保全管理方策の策定が必須だが、本種の繁殖生態については未だ多くが謎である。そこで本研究では、沖縄周辺海域に来遊するザトウクジラに衛星発信器を装着し、繁殖時期の雌雄個体の情報を収集することで、本種の繁殖生態の解明に向けた基礎的情報の拡充を目指す。また研究結果を基に、ザトウクジラの繁殖活動への影響を最小限に抑えた、持続的な地元観光産業の体制作りを行う。以上により、本種の資源回復に向けた繁殖生態の解明と地域社会への貢献を目指す。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to obtain basic knowledge on the breeding ecology of humpback whales which migrate to Okinawan waters for winter breeding season. Using photo identification data which was collected for over 30 years around Okinawan waters, returning rate and breeding rate were calculated, and the analysis on the singing behavior of males was analyzed as well. Furthermore, the utilization of humpback whales in the Okinawan waters during breeding season was also examined using satellite tagging technique. The results showed that Okinawan waters are continuously utilized by the same individuals for a long period of time as a breeding area. The analysis on the within region return index of each individual and the interchange index among other areas in Japan revealed that humpback whales migrating to the Japanese sighting areas including Okinawa are likely to be one group, and that humpback whales also show site fidelity to each areas at some level.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

沖縄を含む西部北太平洋系群のザトウクジラは、現在も絶滅危惧種とされており、同集団の保全に向けた知見の拡充や対策が急務とされている。本研究により、沖縄海域が本集団により長期継続的に利用される重要な繁殖海域の1つであることが明らかとなり、また国内複数海域に来遊するザトウクジラが1つの共有の集団である可能性についても明らかとなった。本研究は、世界的に急務とされている西部北太平洋系群の基礎的情報を拡充するとともに、北太平洋全域における本種の保全計画に大きな進歩をもたらす結果となった。

Report

(5 results)
  • 2022 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • 2019 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (17 results)

All 2022 2021 2019 Other

All Int'l Joint Research (7 results) Journal Article (4 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results,  Peer Reviewed: 4 results,  Open Access: 2 results) Presentation (4 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 3 results,  Invited: 1 results) Remarks (1 results) Funded Workshop (1 results)

  • [Int'l Joint Research] Pacific Whale Foundation(米国)

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Keiki Kohora Project(米国)

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Happywhale(米国)

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] BALYENA.ORG(フィリピン)

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Pacific Whale Foundation(米国)

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Keiki Kohola Project(米国)

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] BALYENA.ORG(フィリピン)

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] Interchanges and movements of humpback whales in Japanese waters: Okinawa, Ogasawara, Amami, and Hokkaido, using an automated matching system2022

    • Author(s)
      Kobayashi Nozomi、Kondo Satomi、Tsujii Koki、Oki Katsuki、Hida Masami、Okabe Haruna、Yoshikawa Takashi、Ogawa Ryuta、Lee Chonho、Higashi Naoto、Okamoto Ryosuke、Ozawa Sachie、Uchida Senzo、Mitani Yoko
    • Journal Title

      PLOS ONE

      Volume: 17 Issue: 11 Pages: e0277761-e0277761

    • DOI

      10.1371/journal.pone.0277761

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Identification of over one thousand individual wild humpback whales using fluke photos.2022

    • Author(s)
      Yoshikawa T, Hida M, Lee C, Okabe H, Kobayashi N, Ozawa S, Saito H, Kan M, Date S, Shimojo S.
    • Journal Title

      In Proceedings of the 17th International Joint conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications.

      Volume: 4: ISSN2184-4321 Pages: 957-967

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Diel patterns in singing activity of humpback whales in a winter breeding area in Okinawan (Ryukyuan) waters2021

    • Author(s)
      Kobayashi Nozomi、Okabe Haruna、Higashi Naoto、Miyahara Hirokazu、Uchida Senzo
    • Journal Title

      Marine Mammal Science

      Volume: July Issue: 3 Pages: 1-11

    • DOI

      10.1111/mms.12790

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Interchange and movements of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) between western North Pacific winter breeding grounds in northern Luzon, Philippines and Okinawa, Japan2021

    • Author(s)
      Acebes Jo Marie、Okabe Haruna、Kobayashi Nozomi、Nakagun Shotaro、Higashi Naoto、Uchida Senzo
    • Journal Title

      J. Cetacean Res. Manage.

      Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Pages: 39-53

    • DOI

      10.47536/jcrm.v22i1.201

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] ザトウクジラの調査研究 国際的な研究活動も含めて2022

    • Author(s)
      小林希実
    • Organizer
      日本哺乳類学会 自由集会
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Interchange of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) among Japanese areas using automated matching system.2021

    • Author(s)
      Nozomi Kobayashi, Satomi Kondo, Koki Tsujii, Katuski Oki, Masami Hida, Takashi Yoshikawa, Haruna Okabe, Ryuta Ogawa, Chonho Lee, Naoto Higashi, Ryousuke Okamoto, Senzo Uchida, Yoko Mitani
    • Organizer
      24th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Satellite tracking surveys on humpback whales around Okinawa (Ryukyu) Island, Japan.2021

    • Author(s)
      Haruna Okabe, Sachie Ozawa, Nozomi Kobayashi
    • Organizer
      24th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Estimating the trend in encounter rate of humpback whales in the recent years in the western waters of Okinawa (Ryuku) Island, Japan.2019

    • Author(s)
      Haruna Okabe, Nozomi Kobayashi, Naoto Higashi
    • Organizer
      World Marine Mammal Science Conference 2019
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Remarks] BALYENA AT LUMBA SA PILIPINAS

    • URL

      http://balyena.org.ph/main.php

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Funded Workshop] Steering committee meeting for "Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpback whales version 2 (SPLASH-2:)2021

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report

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Published: 2019-04-18   Modified: 2024-01-30  

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