Scientific Literature: Searchable Database

College of the Atlantic has maintained a collection of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) identification photographs from the Antarctic since 1987. In 1998 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) approved funding to support the expansion of this catalogue to members of the IWC, with an aim to substantially improve the accessibility and organization of the database. The collection has been internationally collaborative from its beginning, with photographic contributions from 400 researchers and opportunistic sources. During the contract period, the Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalogue (AHWC) catalogued 820 photo-identification images representing 709 individual humpback whales captured in Southern Hemisphere waters. These catalogued images were submitted by 25 individuals and research organizations. Photographic comparison of submitted photographs to the AHWC during the contract period yielded 183 resights of known individuals. These submissions bring the total number of catalogued whales identified by fluke, right dorsal fin/flank and left dorsal fin/flank photographs to 7476, 414 and 408 respectively. This report details these findings, as well as other recent advances in the AHWC.