Humphrey, the famous one-way whale, that swam up the Sacramento
river, became part of our study
This project was the result of the collaboration of researchers from
16 independent studies that compassed all regions of the North Pacific where
photo-identification of humpback whales has been conducted.
The Center for Whale Research conducted research in Southern British Columbia,
Washington, California and Mexico.
The study provided new insights into the movements and population structure
of humpback whales in the North Pacific.
The more than 6,400 photographs used in the study determined that a total
of 2,712 different individual whales were to be present in the sample. Overall
results yield a likely true abundance of about 8,000 humpback whales for
the entire North Pacific.
The final report Population Abundance and Structure of Humpback
Whales in the North Pacific Basin is currently being prepared for
publication.