Marine protected areas (MPAs), particularly large MPAs, are increasing in number and size around the globe in part to facilitate the conservation of marine megafauna under the assumption that large-scale MPAs better align with vagile life histories; however, this alignment is not well established. Using a global tracking dataset from 36 species across five taxa, chosen to reflect the span of home range size in highly mobile ma...

Tags have been used to examine migration routes and habitat use of large whales for >40 yr, however, evaluation of tag wound healing has largely been short‐term, anecdotal or generalized. This study developed methods for systematic photographic assessment of long‐term external consequences of tag placement, to determine potential differences in wound healing between species and tag types and thus advise future tagging efforts...

This paper presents data from 48 resightings of 16 southern right whales that were satellite‐tagged on the South African coast in September 2001, up to and including 2012. Tag performance in terms of number of days with locations received was significantly higher in males than females, and lowest in cows with calves, and attributed to behavioral differences leading to variable degrees of antenna damage. Resightings occurred fr...

In September 2001, 21 satellite‐monitored radio tags were deployed on southern right whales in South African waters, 15 of which transmitted for 25–161 d. Most coastwise movement on the south coast occurred in a westerly direction with cow‐calf pairs moving slowest. Three whales tagged on the west coast and one tagged on the south coast moved north into St Helena Bay, a probable feeding ground, where residence times were 36–10...

A bstract Dive habits of four Northeast Pacific blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus ) were studied using satellite‐monitored radio tags. Tags summarized dive‐duration data into eight 3‐h periods daily. One tag additionally summarized dive depth and time‐at‐depth information for these same periods. Tracking periods ranged from 0.6 to 12.7 d and provided data for 17 three‐hour summary periods, representing 2,007 dives (788 of wh...