gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:17940 eng UTF8 dataset Alaska Fisheries Science Center 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Building 4 Seattle WA 98115 USA https://www.afsc.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Website Website for this organization information 0700-1700 Pacific Time resourceProvider Waite, Janice 206-526-6554 7600 Sand Point Way, NE Seattle WA 98115-6349 janice.waite@noaa.gov pointOfContact 2026-03-04T19:17:17 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) AFSC/NMML: North Pacific Right Whale Photo-ID Catalog AFSC/NMML: North Pacific Right Whale Photo-ID Catalog publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 17940 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/17940 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information Alaska Fisheries Science Center (206) 526-4000 (206) 526-4004 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Building 4 Seattle WA 98115 USA afsc.webmaster@noaa.gov https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/alaska-fisheries-science-center WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Alaska Fisheries Science Center Website AKFSC Home Page information 0700-1700 Pacific Time originator http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2011.00539.x/full WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Kennedy et al. 2012. First high- to low-latitude match of an eastern North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica). Marine Mammal Science 28:539-544. download http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/06/22/rsbl.2010.0477.short WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Wade et al. 2010. The worlds smallest whale? Biol. Lett. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0477 download http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v13/n2/p99-109/ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Wade et al. 2011. Rare detections of North Pacific right whales in the Gulf of Alaska, with observations of their potential prey. Endangered Species Research. Vol. 13: 99–109. download tableDigital The eastern population of the North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) is the most endangered stock of whales in the world, with recent abundance estimates indicating a population size of approximately 30 animals. Photo-identification of the naturally occurring callosity patterns on the chin, rostrum, lips and post blowhole, and the lip and fluke trailing edge crenulations together represent a nonintrusive technique for obtaining information on their life history parameters, distribution and movements, stock structure, health assessment, and population size. As part of a study funded by the Minerals Management Service and North Pacific Research Board, a North Pacific right whale photo-identification catalog has been established using sighting data recorded since the late 1970s by various dedicated surveys and opportunistic sighting platforms. Date, time, position, photographer, picture quality and notes are documented for each of the approximately 1,780 photographs in the catalog. Within the catalog, there are 18 individual animals with both a high-quality left and right side oblique photograph or a high-quality aerial photograph of the head and dorsal surface; this should be considered the conservative minimum number of individuals catalogued. There are nine other animals with a high quality left or right oblique photograph, but not both. There are eight additional animals with the full suite of required photographs, but the images are of poor quality and cannot be reliably matched. Seven individuals were seen between years (over a period of 11 years), and one of those whales was seen in five separate years within that same period. Data from this catalog have been used to calculate the first abundance estimates for the population. Additionally, the first known match between high and low latitudes (the Bering Sea and Hawaii) was discovered in the catalog. Tracking the within- and between-year sighting histories of photo-identified individuals over decades broadens our knowledge of how these animals use their habitat, and can significantly assist the conservation and management of the species. This is a catalog of all North Pacific right whale callosities and flukes that have been documented over the years by the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, SWFSC, and opportunistic photographers. It will be used to look at life history, habitat use and movements of right whales in the North Pacific. underDevelopment Clapham, Phillip phillip.clapham@noaa.gov pointOfContact Kennedy, Amy amy.kennedy@noaa.gov custodian asNeeded distribution photo-identification theme Bering Sea North Pacific Ocean place DOC/NOAA/NMFS/AFSC > Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce dataCentre Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords 2017-04-24 publication 8.5 Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords GCMD Keyword Forum Page Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords information custodian Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Alaska Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: AFSC/NMML: North Pacific Right Whale Photo-ID Catalog [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/17940. NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose. otherRestrictions Access Constraints: Data are not yet available. otherRestrictions Use Constraints: User must read and fully comprehend the metadata prior to use. Applications or inferences derived from the data should be carefully considered for accuracy. Acknowledgement of NOAA/NMFS/AFSC, as the source from which these data were obtained in any publications and/or other representations of these, data is suggested. unclassified NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 17940 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/afsc/dmp/pdf/17940.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. information crossReference eng; US biota oceans -178.5 -101.5 17.5 72.5 North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea | Currentness: Ground Condition 1979 2012 dataset Completeness Report Not applicable. NA