Benthic studies adjacent to Sakhalin Island, Russia, 2015 II: energy content of the zoobenthos in western gray whale feeding grounds.

ABSTRACT: The waters adjacent to the northeastern coast of Sakhalin Island, Russia, are an important feeding ground for the endangered western gray whale. Data on the energy available to foraging whales from their prey resources is required for researchers interested in modeling the bioenergetics of whale foraging, but little energy content information is available for the benthic prey communities of gray whales in this region. In this study, we describe the energy density (ED), biomass, and total energy availability (ED × biomass) of benthic prey sampled from two gray whale foraging areas adjacent to Sakhalin Island: the nearshore and offshore feeding areas. ED varied almost seven-fold among benthic taxa, ranging from 1.11 to 7.62 kJ/g wet mass. Although there was considerable variation within most

SUBMITTER: Maresh JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9579061 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature