Taxonomy
Megaptera novaeangliae | Humpback Whale
Distribution
Status
Conservation status
| Range | Favourable |
| Population | Unknown |
| Habitat | Favourable |
| Future Prospects | Unknown |
| Overall Assessment of Conservation Status | Unknown |
| Overall Trend in Conservation Status | N/A |
IUCN Conservation Status |
| Ireland | Not evaluated* |
| Europe (1) | Least concern |
| Global (2) | Least concern |
* There is currently no Irish Red List for Marine Mammals.
Legal status
Protected by the following legal instruments:
- Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), Annex IV
- Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) Appendix III
- Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention) Appendix I
- Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix I
- International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling 1946 (as amended)
- Council Regulation (EC) No. 812/2004
- Wildlife Act (1976)
- Wildlife (Amendment) Act (2000)
- Whale Fisheries Act 1937
Native status
The north Atlantic population(s) have summer feeding grounds around the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of St. Laurence, Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. There seems to be a degree of fidelity to feeding grounds. Winters are spent in breeding grounds around the West Indies although smaller numbers may use the Cape Verde Islands. Sightings around Britain and Ireland have increased since the 1980s, however these are still relatively low. Irish sightings are mainly off the south coast, with sightings increasing in summer to peak in September, declining markedly after that.
Sources; Reilly, S.B. et al 2008; Harris S.,Yalden D.W. 2008; NPWS 2013.
The Humpback Whale is distributed worldwide and, in most cases, is migratory.
Source: Harris S.,Yalden D.W. 2008.
The 2008 IUCN Global Red List for this species lists Ireland as one of the countries where it is native, however it probably better described as a migrant in an Irish context.Sources: Reilly, S.B. et al 2008.; de Klem, 1994
Species Biology
Identification
- Maximum body length: Adults range 11-16m in length, females slightly longer than males.
- Blow: Broad and bushy, to 3m
- Head shape: Head broad. Series of fleshy knobs on rostrum, called tubercles, which also occur on the lower lip.
- Baleen: Dark brown with dark grey bristles, 270-400 plates per side, up to 0.8m long
- Dorsal fin: Small, variable with broad base, raised hump in front and "knuckles" behind.
- Coloration: Black with white on throat and belly. Variable amounts of white on the underside of flukes and both sides of flippers.
- Body: The body is stout, with flat broad head.
- Flippers long (one-third the body length) often white or partly white, with knobs on the leading edge. Flukes broad with irregular trailing edge.
- Ventral throat grooves, 12 - 36, extending at least to the navel.
Source: Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
Habitat
The Humpback Whale is distributed worldwide and, in most cases, is migratory, breeding in tropical waters at low latitudes and migrating to feed at higher latitudes usually over continental shelf. Depending on the stage of migration this species may be found in deep mid-ocean waters or shallower costal waters.
Source: Harris S.,Yalden D.W. 2008.
Habitats;
- Marine water body (M)
Sources: Harris S.,Yalden D.W., 2008; Fossitt, J.A., 2001.
Reproduction
- Max life expectancy: 48 years
- Average body length: 12.9 males, 13.7 females
- Max. length Females 16m, males 15m.
- Female sexual maturity: 4 - 6 years, 11.4 - 12.4m
- Gestation period: 11 - 12 months
- Calves born: Single calf born every 2 - 3 years, usually between January and March in the west Indies. Length at birth, 4.5 - 5m.
- Male sexual maturity: 11 - 12 m
Threats faced
| THREAT | ARTICLE 17 THREAT CODE | RANKING |
| Fishing and harvesting aquatic resources* | F02 | Medium |
| Seismic exploration, explosions | H06.05 | Medium |
| Death or injury by collision | G05.11 | Low |
| Wildlife watching | G02.09 | Low |
| Noise nuisance, noise pollution | H06.01 | Low |
| Changes in abiotic conditions | M01 | Low |
*This would include the threat to this species of becoming by-catch / accidental catch as well as the threat of a reduction in prey availability, also entanglement in fishing gear.
These threats accord well with the threats, relevant to the migrants recorded in Irish waters, outlined in the 2007 European Regional IUCN Red List assessment for the species.
Source: IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group.
In a 2009 Cetacean Action Plan, an additional threat identified to all cetacean species occuring in Irish waters was;
- Persistent Pollutants in the marine environment.
Conservation actions
In the Article 17 Habitats Directive reporting for the period 2007-2012,
no Conservation Measures in place or in the process of being implemented were listed.
There are no suggested additional Conservation Actions in the 2007 European Regional, or
2008 Global, IUCN Red List assessment for this species other than an acknowledgement of the existence of legislative protection and the existence of cetacean sanctuaries.
Sources: IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group; Reilly, S.B. et al 2008.
In a 2009 Cetacean Action Plan a total of 41 Actions were identified as part of the plan. The plan and the 2013 review of the plan are available via from NPWS website.
Sources: DEHLG 2009; NPWS 2013(a).
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
Global marine distribution.
Accuracy of world distribution shown in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) map below will be constrained by, amongst other factors, data held but not shared by countries and organizations not participating in the GBIF.
Irish distribution
Most records from off south and south-west coastal regions.
Source; Wall, D. et al 2013.
Temporal change
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024
The following map is interactive. If you would prefer to view it full screen then click here.
How can you help
The National Biodiversity Data Centre is trying to improve our knowledge on the distribution of the Humpback Whale in Ireland. Should you observe this species, please submit sightings to add to the database. Detailed observations will assist us gaining a better insight into where the species is most abundant in Ireland and we might also be able to detect regional variations. Please submit any sightings and photographs at:
http://records.biodiversityireland.ie/index.php
All records submitted online can be viewed on Google Maps – once checked and validated these will be added to the database and made available for conservation and research.
Further information
For further information contact Dr. Liam Lysaght llysaght@biodiversityireland.ie
References
Publications
DEHLG 2009 Conservation Plan for Cetaceans in Irish waters.
de Klem, Cyrille, 1994. ‘The Problem of Migratory Species in International Law’, in Helge Ole Bergesen and Georg Parmann (eds.), Green Globe Yearbook ofInternational Co-operation on Environment and Development 1994(Oxford: Oxford University Press), 67–77.
Fossitt, J.A. (2001) A Guide to Habitats in Ireland. The Heritage Council
Harris S., Yalden D.W. (2008). Mammals of the British Isles :Handbook, 4th Edition. The Mammal Society.
Species account by IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group; regional assessment by European Mammal Assessment Team 2007. Megaptera novaeangliae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 October 2014.
NPWS (2013) The Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland. Species Assessments Volume 3. Version 1.0. Unpublished Report, National Parks & Wildlife Services. Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin, Ireland.
NPWS (2013a) Delivery Schedule for Actions listed in the Conservation Plan for Cetaceans in Irish waters – June 2013
Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G.P., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N. 2008. Megaptera novaeangliae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 October 2014.
Wall, D., Murray, C., O’Brien, J., Kavanagh, L., Wilson, C., Ryan, C., Glanville, B., Williams, D., Enlander, I., O’Connor, I., McGrath, D., Whooley, P. & Berrow, S. (2013). Atlas of the Distribution and Relative Abundance of Marine Mammals in Irish Offshore Waters: 2005 – 2011. Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Kilrush, Co. Clare.