Interim Report: IWC Research Contract 16, Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalogue

College of the Atlantic (COA) 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 202 researchers and opportunistic sources. During the contract period, the Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalogue (AHWC) catalogued 418 photo-identification images representing 288 individual humpback whales from Antarctic and southern Hemisphere waters. These images were submitted by 38 individuals and research organizations. Photographic comparison of submitted photographs to the AHWC during the contract period yielded 85 previously known individuals. These submissions bring the total number of catalogued whales to 3,023. This report details these findings, as well as other recent advances in the AHWC.