pacific islands report_NU.indd - Whale and Dolphin Conservation ...

11. NiueLand Area (km 2 ): 259Sea Area (EEZ) (thousands of km 2 ): 390Niue is a small coral atoll with steep limestonecliffs along coast, central plateau situated in theSouth Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga.The small island of Niue is situated amid regions whereresearch has been conducted (i.e., Tonga, AmericanSamoa and Cook Islands) yet has not itself beensubject to dedicated surveys. Reports from Japaneseresearchers (Kasamatsu et al. 1995) indicated thatminke whales were present from American Samoa andNiue east to Tahiti although species was not indicated.However, Constantine (1999a) documented recordsthat indicated Balaenoptera acutorostrata individualswere seen on rare occasion in offshore waters.Constantine’s (1999a) report also indicated thatspinner dolphins were seen year-round. This reliabilityin Niue waters is reinforced by the small ecotourismindustry that has developed around this species (Hoyt2001). Humpbacks are seen seasonally in these waters(Constantine 1999a, Reeves et al. 1999). Three speciesthat were cited as being rarely observed within thesewaters were orca, false killer whale, and pilot whale(believed to be short-finned) (Constantine 1999a).Ohsumi (1979) describe the distribution of spermwhales in this area to begin west (Fiji) and extend eastto the waters between Niue and Raratonga.Scientific NameCommon NameBalaenoptera sp.Minke whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeHumpback whaleGlobicephala macrorhynchusShort-finned pilot whaleOrcinus orcaOrcaPseudorca crassidensFalse killer whaleStenella longirostrisSpinner dolphinPhyseter macrocephalusSperm whaleRecords of Cetaceans in the Waters of NiueCitationKasamatsu et al. 1995, Constantine 1999a 1Constantine 1999a, Reeves et al. 1999, SPWRC 2002 and 2004 1Constantine 1999a 2Constantine 1999a 1Constantine 1999a 1Constantine 1999a, Hoyt 2001 1Ohsumi 1979 2Class12.Northern Mariana IslandsLand Area (km 2 ): 471Sea Area (EEZ) (thousands of km 2 ): 777The Commonwealth of the Northern MarianaIslands is a chain of 16 islands that extend 563 kmin the northwest Pacific. The northern islands arecomposed of volcanic rock, the southern islands ofmadrepore limestone covering a volcanic base.Horwood (1987) reported that two sei whales weretagged in the vicinity of the Northern Mariana Islands.Japanese sighting surveys and tuna vessels havealso recorded short-finned pilot whales, Risso’s andrough-toothed dolphins within this area (Pattersonand Alverson 1986, Miyashita et al. 1995). A recentencounter again confirmed rough-toothed dolphinsassociated with a large (500-700 individuals) group ofmelon-headed whales (Jeffersen et al. 2006). Spinnerdolphin presence has also been confirmed in theCURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE OF CETACEAN THREATS, DIVERSITY, AND HABITATS IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS REGION 49