An outline of the blue whale voyages of 2012 can be found here: http://www.marinemammals.gov.au/sorp/antarctic-blue-whale-project/bonney-upwelling-acoustic-testing-expeditions with further information here: http://www.marinemammals.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/135617/SC-64-SH11.pdf The 'Logger' data entry system was developed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and is a flexible system to record information during a voyage. This system was the primary data entry system for the voyage and all events were recorded in Logger’s database. Blue whale voyage 1 datasets: 12 - 25 January 2012 Sightings from the first blue whale voyage are recorded across three access databases: 20120117LoggerFinalPart1Updated.mdb 20120121LoggerFinalPart2Updated.mdb 20120125LoggerFinalPart3Updated.mdb These databases contain tables describing: Comments: details additional to sightings entered or data entry omissions, time stamped (UTC) Observer effort - codes found in lookup table, date/time in UTC GPS data (time stamped, UTC) and heading Lookup - contains all topic codes to apply to all other tables Resights: resighting details for sightings already recorded, time/date in UTC, initial sighting number, blow count and notes Cetacean sightings - date/time in UTC, sighting number, observer name, vessel, estimate of distance, bearing, heading, species code, sighting cue code, estimate of number of individuals (low, best and high), group behaviour, pod compaction, surface synchronicity and comments Weather: Date/time in UTC, sightability, glare, sea state, wind strength, swell, weather, cloud cover, cloud height, notes Blue whale voyage 2 datasets: 13 - 30 March 2012 GPS data is stored in the file called 'gps_meld_data_exp.csv'. This is an amalgam dataset of two GPS data streams, that has been checked and corrected (see 'Quality' for further details. Date time is stored in two formats. The first is %Y-%m-%d %H-%M-%S format, as in "2012-03-16 17:54:32". The second format is a concatenated, orderable numeric string, as in 20120316175432. ### The small file 'trip_db.csv' contains a quick reference as to when the four trips of blue whale voyage 2 started, to the minute. These times have been corrected for the minor (i.e, 2 mins 15 second) error (see 'Quality' below). ### Effort database is contained in the file 'VWhale2_database_effort_corrected.csv'. A fair amount of 'correction' has gone on with this data as there were great variations in the way different people were adding new information into Logger. Furthermore, there were 'innovations' made to the Logger system, particularly after the first couple of trips. In particular, the effort was added to Logger in the first trip was exactly as it was in the first voyage (the VL was too seasick to make any amendments). So, according to the older effort classification, effort for the *first trip* started and ended, but there were no observer rotations or notes taken as to what platform the observers were perched on. Given there was quite a bit of seasickness that first day, the only observers likely to be working would have been PE, PO and DD. These observers favoured the Fly Bridge so all sighting effort for the first trip has been allocated to these observers on the Fly Bridge. The subsequent innovations were: observers were not told how far away a potential calling whale was. If, however, the acousticians thought that we were almost upon the animal(s), they will indicate this to the observing team. Acoustic.search == 1 indicates when the acousticians have notified observers that there was a group of blue whales in the area. Local.Search == 1 indicates that after an initial sighting was made, sighting effort and boat movement converted into a search to get closer to the animal(s) in order to confirm their species (not usually such a huge issue with blue whales, admittedly), group size and to get photo-ID. FD == 1 when effort on the foredeck either started or continued. FB == 1 when effort on the fly bridge either started or continued. For the effort types, the effort interval is defined as the time between the row the '1' value first appears and the date/time of the next row of the similar effort type. Index.new: Because two databases were merged to form the one effort dataset (the first trip had its own Logger MS-Access database), an overall index, Index.new, was created for continuity. Index: Effort index as it appears in the original Logger MS-Access databases. GpsIndex: In Logger, each Effort (or sighting) row is tagged with the accompanying GPS index number. This ties an effort event with the date/time and geographical location information displayed in the GPS data. GPSIndex.cor: As with GpsIndex but, again, as the databases were merged, a new GPSIndex value was created (.cor == corrected) to account for this, and for the added BPM GPS data. GpsTime: Date (only), as derived from GPS. Has been abbreviate to only date due to the joys of how Microsoft packages deal with date/time objects; full date/time value for each effort row can be derived from the GPS data, via the GPSIndex.cor value EffortNo: Each effort row has been assigned a unique number within each respective MS-Access Logger file. This is somewhat redundant with the Index value. Local time: When Logger records an event, it also takes a date/time value from the local computer. It's not really clear to me what this value actually represents. Observer: The head observer at the time the effort event was logged. Basically, just means the person driving the Logger computer (i.e., physically entering values and making weather obs) Event: Each event has a unique descriptor number. See the 'Lookup' table in the MS-Access database. Event.cor: This column should be completely ignored. Notes: Any comments that accompanied particular effort entries. See also the Comments table for notes not specifically related to any Effort entries. Platform: Which sighting platforms observers either started or stopped effort on, or rotated through. Unfortunately, this information wasn't always consistently recorded. See the FB and FD columns for a more correct record of when sighting effort was on and off. Platform.cor: This column should be ignored. Observers: All observers on rotation. Sonobuoy: when the launching of a sonobuoy was noted in Logger, here are the numbers (this is not a complete list) Trip: which trip it was ##### Sightings for all species are given in 'sightings.csv'. ##### Weather observations are in 'weather.csv'. Recording of glare angles (i.e., start and end bearing) started on third trip. ##### Comments in 'comments.csv'. Please note there were no comments recorded during the first trip.

A spreadsheet detailing the filenames of the best left and/or right photos of blue whales photographed and individually identified during the Antarctic blue whale voyage 2013. The 'best' photos are also included as jpegs. See http://www.marinemammals.gov.au/sorp/antarctic-blue-whale-project for further detail regarding the Antarctic blue whale voyage.

This file contains the deployment metadata for satellite tag deployments during the Antarctic blue whale voyage 2013. Specifically, this file contains: Argos Number – the platform transmitting terminal identification number assigned by Argos Date (UTC) Time (UTC) Location (at deployment) Field trip (field trip identifier) Deployment Lat itude Deployment Longitude Species Sex (as determined via biopsy sample analysis) Body condition Maturity Group Size Initial Activity Deployment Method (used to deploy satellite tag) Airgun Pressure (bar) Shot distance (m) %age Implanted (percentage of tag implanted – 100% = full implantation) Reaction (to tagging) Boat driver Tag Shooter Biopsy Shooter Filmed? Photo Id taken? Frame number (of photo ID image) Biopsy taken? Biopsy ID (sample identification number) A data update was provided in August, 2022. Three files were added: BDJ_Argos_locs_SDA_filter.csv (Antarctic blue whale tracking data - Argos locations with SDA filter outcome, state space model with move persistence/behavioural index) BDJ_ssm_2h_mpm.csv (State space model output at 2h time step with move persistence (gamma) value used to provide behavioural context to movement) Data package details.docx (provides further details about the above two files.

The ‘Logger’ data entry system was developed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and is a flexible system to record information during a voyage. All events occurring during daylight operations such as sightings, biopsy attempts and sonobuoy deployments were recorded in a customized data entry program Logger along with weather and effort data. The logger access database contains all data collected throughout theNZ/Aus Antarctic Ecosystems Voyage 2015 related to: Biopsy events (date/time in UTC, success, sample number, reaction, attempts, dart recovery, notes) Comments - time stamped (UTC) with GPS index providing additional detail Observer effort (effort status, event, number of observers and locations, ship guide and data logger) Environmental observations (sightability, sea state, swell, weather, cloud cover, visibility, intensity, glare, ice, sea surface temperature) GPS data - time indexed NMEA feed, also containing heading and ship speed Lookup - table containing topic codes describing the codes that appear in all other tables Cetacean sightings and resightings (date/time in UTC), sighting number, sighting platform, estimate distance, binocular reticles, angle, species, sighting cue, heading, estimate of number of individuals, observer of sighting, behaviour, pod compaction, comments) Sonobuoy deployments (date/time in UTC, sonobuoy number, notes)

The ‘Logger’ data entry system was developed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and is a flexible system to record information during a voyage. This system was the primary data entry system for the voyage and all events were recorded in Logger’s database. The logger access database contains all data collected throughout the Antarctic blue whale voyage related to: Observer effort (effort status, event, number of observers and locations, ship guide and data logger) Cetacean sightings and resightings (time, sighting number, sighting platform, estimate distance, binocular reticles, angle, species, sighting cue, heading, estimate of number of individuals, observer of sighting, behaviour, pod compaction, comments) Sonobuoy deployments (time, sonobuoy number, notes) Environmental observations (sightability, sea state, swell, weather, cloud cover, visibility, intensity, glare, ice, sea surface temperature) GPS data (time indexed NMEA feed) CTD deployments (time, notes) Biopsy events (time, success, sample number, reaction, attempts, dart recovery, notes)

Biopsy samples (small amounts of skin and blubber) were collected from humpback and blue whales during the Antarctic blue whale voyage 2013. For more information please see: http://www.marinemammals.gov.au/sorp/antarctic-blue-whale-project This dataset consists of an access database summarising biopsy events containing the fields: Pod: a combination of date and where the biopsy was taken from (small boat - Remora, or main vessel - Amaltal Explorer) Ship reference: sighting number Number of individuals sighted Age class and sex Satellite tag number Biopsy sample number Biopsy collection location (longitude and latitude) Biopsy collection time (UTC) Reaction to biopsy Number of biopsy attempts Photo ID images Biopsy collection photo Comments An excel spreadsheet (Biopsy_info_ ABWV2013.xlsx) details the biopsy processing that occurred upon collection of a sample. Where possible, each blue whale sample was split and preserved in 2 x All Protect, 1 x EtOH and 1 x Nitrogen. Each humpback sample was additionally preserved in RNA later and stored at -20 degrees Celsius and individually detailed in spreadsheet Biopsy_info _ABWV2013(hbw).xlsx. Biopsy samples were processed to determine sex and relatedness using DLOOP analysis and the results are held in: 240513 BW Sexing Results.xls

All photos taken during the two Blue whale voyages undertaken in January and March 2012 in an attempt to get a best photo identification image of pygmy blue whales. Whales from the January voyage are numbered sequentially beginning with 1; whales from the March voyage are numbered sequentially beginning with 101. The folder contains a best left side and a best right side photo of each whale (if available). Identification photos of whales where a dorsal fin was not visible are included only if there was a dorsal fin visible in a good identification photo of the other side of the whale. Photo filenames include the photographer’s initials: CJ = Catriona Johnson DD = Dave Donnelly MD = Mike Double JS = Josh Smith NS = Nat Schmitt PE = Paul Ensor PO = Paula Olson RS = Rob Slade VAG = Virginia Andrews-Goff

A spreadsheet detailing the filenames and sighting numbers (to link to visual observations) of the best left and/or right photos of blue whales photographed and individually identified during the blue whale voyages (2) in the Bonney Upwelling, 2012. The 'best' photos are also included as jpegs. See http://www.marinemammals.gov.au/sorp/antarctic-blue-whale-project/bonney-upwelling-acoustic-testing-expeditions and http://www.marinemammals.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/135617/SC-64-SH11.pdf for further detail regarding the blue whale voyages.

Biopsy samples were collected from humpback (n=10) and blue whales (n=1) during the NZ/Aus Antarctic Ecosystems Voyage 2015. Biopsy collection from humpback and blue whales was attempted from the bow of the ship using Larsen rifles. Biopsying blue whales from the bow of the RV Tangaroa proved challenging due to the ship’s manoeuvrability and the limited capacity to change speed rapidly. Biopsy samples were split between All Protect (Qiagen), 70% ethanol, and freezing at -20C. . This dataset consists of an excel spreadsheet (biopsy_events.xlsx) summarising biopsy events containing the fields: Date_taken (in UTC) Location (general) where sample collected Latitude Longitude Individual ID Sample ID Name of sampler Sample type Preservative used Species sampled An excel spreadsheet (Biopsy sample info datasheet AEV 2015.xlsx) details the biopsy processing that occurred upon collection of a sample. Where possible, each sample was split and preserved in 2 x All Protect, 1 x EtOH and 1 x -80 degrees Celsius. Samples preserved in All Protect and 70% ethanol are stored at the Australian Antarctic Division and samples preserved at -80C are stored at NIWA Wellington. A subsample of the Antarctic blue whale biopsy was submitted to the IWC-recognised genetic repository for Antarctic blue whale at NOAA Southwest Fisheries, La Jolla. Biopsy samples were processed to determine sex and the results are held in: TAN1502_Whale biopsy samples.xls

This metadata record is a parent for all data collected during the 2012 Blue whale voyages. Description of specific data sets can be found within child datasets.