Migration redefined? Seasonality, movements and group composition of humpback whalesMegaptera novaeangliaeoff the west coast of South Africa

The migration of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae between their feeding and breeding areas has thus far been considered a highly predictable and seasonal event. However, previous observations on the humpbacks that pass through the nearshore waters of the west coast of South Africa have revealed deviations from the behaviour and seasonality expected during a typical migration. This ‘anomaly’ is hypothesised to be associated with prey availability in the region. Shore-based observations between July 2001 and February 2003 from North Head, Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape province, yielded relative abundances that again did not support a classical migration pattern, with the highest sighting rates from mid-spring through summer. Movement parameters (actual swimming speed, direction and linearity) of humpback groups tracked by theodolite showed mid-spring to be a turning point in their behaviour, after which we observed a significant reduction in actual swimming speed, an increase i...