Introduction & Objectives
North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) of the West Indies distinct population segment (Bettridge et al. 2015) migrate from six northern feeding grounds to Caribbean Sea waters during the winter months (Waring et al. 2013). Some whales do not take part in this migration and use the Mid-Atlantic region to over-winter (Barco et al. 2002). Understanding the occurrence and behavior of humpback whales in the vicinity of U.S. Navy training and vessel transiting activities off the coast of Virginia is important in mitigating potentially harmful impacts on the species.
Humpback whale sighting information off the Virginia Beach area has been collected with various methods and sporadic field effort, with shore-based counts in 1991 and vessel-based photo-identification efforts in 1992 (Swingle et al. 1993), and further cataloging efforts using photos taken on whale-watching excursions and from stranded whales (Barco et al. 2002). Data have shown some individuals returning in subsequent years, and it is suggested that the area may act as a supplemental winter feeding grounds for the returning whales (Barco et al. 2002). Photos of whales sighted off Virginia were matched to cataloged whales from the Gulf of Maine, Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence regions (Barco et al. 2002, Aschettino et al. 2018; Mallette and Barco 2019).
Until recently, information on the movements of individuals within this region has been limited. Published results from the first 3 years of this study (Aschettino et al. 2020a) and have highlighted that humpback whales in this region spend a significant portion of their time in high-traffic areas, including the shipping lanes at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. This growing body of data is important to assess the potential for disturbance to humpback whales found in U.S. Navy training ranges and high-traffic areas in the Chesapeake Bay and mid-Atlantic coastal waters.
The objectives of this project are to assess the baseline occurrence and behavior of humpback whales in the Hampton Roads mid-Atlantic region by addressing the following questions:
• What age classes (juveniles, sub-adults, adults) are utilizing the waters within and adjacent to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay?
• Do humpback whales exhibit site-fidelity over periods of days to years?
• Do humpback whales congregate in specific high-traffic and/or high-use Navy training areas?
• Do humpback whales spend significant time within or move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire and mine neutralization exercise (MINEX) training)?
Technical Approach
This project focuses on nearshore non-systematic visual surveys from a small vessel with associated photo identification, unmanned aerial systems, biopsy sampling, and tagging using Wildlife Computers Smart Position and Temperature (SPOT6) Argos-linked satellite tags as well as SPLASH-F variations that record diving behavior and integrate Fastloc© GPS (Wildtrack Telemetrry Systems Limited) in the Low Impact Minimally Percutaneous Electronic Transmitter (LIMPET) configuration. These small tags measuring only two inches in length and height and less than an inch wide, attach to the dorsal fin or base of the dorsal fin by two sterilized darts. This placement allows frequent transmissions to the Argos satellites when the animals surface, providing locations throughout the day on the whereabouts of the tagged individuals. Tags are designed to eventually fall off the animal after a period of weeks. Primary objectives of this project include:
1. Collect baseline occurrence data (location, sex, group size, behavior) of humpback whales (and other species of baleen whales opportunistically)
2. Obtain identification photographs and drone video footage of humpback whales for inclusion in regional and local catalogs, as well as morphometric measurements and health assessments
3. Collect biopsy samples of humpback whales for sex determination, mitochondrial control region sequencing, and microsatellite genotyping of tissue samples, and stable isotope analysis to determine foraging related to prey consumption.
4. Conduct satellite tagging to document seasonal humpback whale movement patterns in the nearshore waters off Virginia Beach, specifically whether the whales spend significant time in areas of high shipping traffic and/or areas of U.S. Navy training exercises.
The study area includes waters in and around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay as well as the W-50 MINEX region off Virginia Beach. Although the operating area for each survey is chosen depending on weather conditions and reports of humpback whales or other baleen whales in the area, there will always remain a focus on areas of high Navy use, such as the W-50a MINEX zone and shipping channels. During each encounter, every effort will be made to collect identification photographs of the dorsal fins and tail flukes (when possible). Based on the animal’s identification, satellite tags may be deployed and biopsy samples may be collected, depending on what data has previously been collected from that individual.
Progress & Results
This project expanded to the mid-shelf region and broadened focus to include other baleen whale species beginning in the 2022/23 field season. Data collection will continue for nearshore humpback whales to maintain ongoing photo identification efforts but future tagging will be focused on the mid-shelf region, with the exception of continuing to address behavioral response of humpbacks to large vessels in the shipping channels.
Please see the Mid-Atlantic Nearshore & Mid-shelf Baleen Whale Study for future updates.
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Researchers from HDR and the U.S. Navy conducted 152 nearshore surveys between January 2015 and March 2022 totaling 1,194 hours of effort and covering 13,315 km of trackline. Although humpback whales were the focal species for these surveys, data on other high-priority baleen whale species were also collected opportunistically. During these surveys, there have been 592 baleen whale sightings, including 543 sightings of humpback whales totaling 747 individuals, 25 sightings of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) totaling 32 individuals, 14 sightings of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) totaling 17 individuals, and 7 sightings of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) totaling 12 individuals. Eighty (80) biopsy samples have been collected and 97 satellite tags deployed (58 location-only SPOT tags and 39 location-dive SPLASH tags) through the 2021/22 field season.
As of March 2022, there have been 246 unique humpback whales photo-identified during the course of this project. Approximately three-quarters of individuals were estimated to be juveniles based on size assessment in the field. Photo-IDs are incorporated into the Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog and also shared with other regional catalogs. Although matching for these images is ongoing, matches to known animals from the Gulf of Maine. Newfoundland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon have been made.
Tagging results show that the area near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay is heavily utilized by humpbacks whales. Using data collected from the first three years of satellite tagging effort, Aschettino et al. (2020) found that individuals spend considerable time engaged in foraging behavior at or near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. These results indicate that local habitat preferences directly overlap with high-traffic areas, which can have deadly consequences. During the 2015/2106 field season, four whales were encountered with fresh injuries, likely from vessel strikes, and during the 2016/2017 field season three whales died of vessel-related injuries over an 8-day period. In April 2017 the National Marine Fisheries Service declared an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) for humpback whales between Maine and Florida, demonstrating the need for continued research on animals in this region.
A pilot study was incorporated in 2019 to assess the behavior of humpbacks to large vessels by deploying digital acoustic recording tags (DTags) in conjunction with focal follows. The tags provide the opportunity to study the whales’ three-dimensional movement and reactions to the sound of vessel approaches. This behavioral response component of the project has subsequently been continued and we anticipate more DTag deployments during future field seasons.
Project Videos
Project Information
Timeline
2015-2023
Location
VACAPES nearshore Mid-Atlantic
Species
Visual surveys, focal follow observation, morphometrics, photo ID, biopsy sampling, satellite tagging
Performing Organizations
Principal Investigators
Dan Engelhaupt
Jessica Aschettino
HDR, Inc.
Sponsor(s) & Funding
FY14 - $320k, FY15 - $260k, FY16 - $370k, FY17 - $325k, FY19 - $248k, FY20 - $257k, FY21 - $320k, FY22 - $570k
Point of Contacts
Program/Project Manager
Joel T. Bell
NAVFAC Atlantic
Environmental Conservation, Marine Resources Section
Deputy Program Manager
Jackie Bort Thornton
NAVFAC Atlantic
Environmental Conservation, Marine Resources Section
Data, Reports, & Publications
Data
+Observation and tagging data
OBIS-SEAMAP
Animal Telemetry Network
Movebank
Technical Reports
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Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring, Virginia Beach, VA: 2021/22 Annual Progress Report.
Aschettino et al. 2022.
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Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
Primary objectives of this project have included the following: Collect baseline occurrence data (location, sex, group size, behavior) of humpback whales (and other species of baleen whales, opportunistically), Obtain identification photographs of humpback whales for inclusion in regional and local catalogs, Collect biopsy samples of humpback whales for sex determination, mitochondrial control region sequencing and microsatellite genotyping of tissue samples, and stable isotope analysis to assess foraging related to prey consumption • Conduct satellite tagging to document seasonal humpback whale movement patterns in the nearshore waters off Virginia Beach, specifically whether the whales spend significant time in areas of high shipping traffic and/or areas of U.S. Navy training exercises
Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring, Virginia Beach, VA: 2019/20 Annual Progress Report.
Aschettino et al. 2021.
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Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
The objective of this multi-year project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program has been to establish baseline information on occurrence and behavior of humpback whales near Naval Station Norfolk and within the Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area (OPAREA)
Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring, Virginia Beach, Virginia: 2019/20 Annual Progress Report.
Aschettino et al. 2020.
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Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
The objective of this multi-year project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program has been to establish baseline information on occurrence and behavior of humpback whales near Naval Station Norfolk and within the Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area by addressing the following questions: What age classes (juveniles, sub-adults, adults) are utilizing the waters within and adjacent to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay? Do humpback whales exhibit site fidelity over periods of days to years? Do humpback whales congregate in specific high-traffic and/or high-use U.S. Navy training areas? Do humpback whales spend significant time within or move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire and mine neutralization exercise (MINEX) training?
Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring, Virginia Beach, Virginia: 2018/19 Annual Progress Report.
Aschettino et al. 2019.
More details
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Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
The objective of this multi-year project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program has been to establish baseline information on occurrence and behavior of humpback whales near Naval Station Norfolk and within the Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area by addressing the following questions: What age classes (juveniles, sub-adults, adults) are utilizing the waters within and adjacent to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay? Do humpback whales exhibit site fidelity over periods of days to years? Do humpback whales congregate in specific high-traffic and/or high-use U.S. Navy training areas? Do humpback whales spend significant time within or move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire and mine neutralization exercise (MINEX) training?
Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring, Virginia Beach, Virginia: 2017/18 Annual Progress Report.
Aschettino et al. 2018.
More details
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Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
The objective of this multi-year project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program has been to establish baseline information on occurrence and behavior of humpback whales near Naval Station Norfolk and within the Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area
Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring, Virginia Beach, Virginia: 2016/17 Annual Progress Report.
Aschettino et al. 2017.
More details
Collapse details
Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
The objective of this multi-year project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program has been to establish baseline information on occurrence and behavior of humpback whales near Naval Station Norfolk and within the Virginia Capes (VACAPES) Operating Area by addressing the following questions: What age classes (juveniles, sub-adults, adults) are utilizing the waters within and adjacent to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay? Do humpback whales exhibit site fidelity over periods of days to years? Do humpback whales congregate in specific high-traffic and/or high-use U.S. Navy training areas? Do humpback whales spend significant time within or move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire and mine neutralization exercise (MINEX) training?
Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring, Virginia Beach, Virginia: 2015/16 Annual Progress Report.
Aschettino et al. 2016.
More details
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Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
The objective of this project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program is to establish baseline information on occurrence and behavior of humpback whales near Naval Station Norfolk and within the Virginia Capes Operational Area (VACAPES OPAREA) by addressing the following questions: • What age classes (juveniles, sub-adults, adults) are utilizing the waters within and adjacent to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay? • Do humpback whales exhibit site fidelity over periods of days to years? • Do humpback whales congregate in specific high-traffic and/or high-use U.S. Navy training areas? • Do humpback whales spend significant time within or move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire and mine neutralization exercise (MINEX) training (Year 2 and Year 3)?
Mid-Atlantic Humpback Whale Monitoring, Virginia Beach, VA: Annual Progress Report.
Aschettino et al. 2015.
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Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
This work builds upon and complements longer-term studies of movements and site fidelity of both Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) off the North Carolina coast using photo-identiThe objective of this project under the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program is to establish baseline occurrence and behavior data for humpback whales in the Hampton Roads mid-Atlantic region by addressing the following questions: • What age classes (juveniles, sub-adults, adults) are utilizing the waters within and adjacent to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay? Do humpback whales exhibit site-fidelity over periods of days to years? Do humpback whales congregate in specific high-traffic and/or high-use U.S. Navy training areas? Do humpback whales spend significant time within or move through areas of U.S. Navy live-fire and MINEX training (Year 2)? What are the relative sound levels humpback whaication (photo-ID)
Publications
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Baleen Whale Occurrence in the Waters Off Virginia and North Carolina, U.S.A. From 2001 to 2019.
Mallette, S. D., McLellan, W. A., Pabst, D. A., Burt, M. L., McAlarney, R. J., Lockhart, G. G., Cummings, E. W., Bell, J. T., Ogburn, M. B., Hamilton, P. K., Read, A. J., Brownell, R. L., Keenan, T. F., Thomas, L., Fisher, P. G., Thornton, J. B., Cotter, M. P., Swingle, W. M., & Barco, S. G.. 2026.
Marine Mammal Science
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Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
Eighteen years of visual survey and strandings data were used to describe baleen whale occurrence along the continental shelf of Virginia and North Carolina, U.S.A. This region experiences heavy anthropogenic use, which poses risks for mortality and injury to baleen whales. Between 2001 and 2019, six species of baleen whales were recorded, and whales occurred year-round. The total number of (on-and off-effort) sightings and strandings amounted to 838 whales, including humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae, n = 503), fin (Balaenoptera physalus, n = 197), North Atlantic right (Eubalaena glacialis, NARW, n = 76), common minke (B. acutorostrata, n = 51), sei (B. borealis, n = 10), and blue (B. musculus, n = 1) whales. Spatial modeling and abundance estimates indicated whale density and distribution changed seasonally. The highest densities of all whales combined occurred in winter and spring. Across seasons, average densities were highest in the northern portion of the study area. Ninety percent of NARW sightings were outside the designated Seasonal Management Areas in place for their protection. The stranding record offered a complementary view of species richness and seasonality. This study provides a baseline of baleen whale occurrence in an area experiencing increasing anthropogenic pressures (e.g., ship traffic and offshore wind-energy development).
Satellite telemetry reveals spatial overlap between vessel high-traffic areas and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglia) near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Aschettino, J.M., Engelhaupt D.T., Engelhaupt A.G., DiMatteo A., Pusser T., Richlen M.F., Bell J.T.. 2025.
Frontiers in Marine Science
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Type:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
From December 2015 to February 2017, 35 satellite tags were deployed on humpback whales to gain a better understanding on the occurrence, movements, site-fidelity, and overall behavior of this species within this high-traffic region.
Presentations
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Seasonality and site-fidelity of humpback whales off the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S..
2017 SMM Biennial. 2017.
Associated Projects & Blog Posts
Projects
+Blog Posts
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Entangled humpback whale
Posted January 8, 2021
One whale tagged twice.
Posted March 8, 2019
Repeat tagging customers to humpback monitoring project
Posted January 30, 2018
Tagging Atlantic Humpbacks
Posted January 8, 2016
Humpbacks Have Arrived!
Posted December 30, 2014
Spinnaker sighted off Virginia Beach
Posted September 25, 2013
