Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to share our recent publication, “Comparing Drone and Vessel-Based Imaging to Quantify Epibiont Coverage on Humpback Whales“ in the journal Marine Mammal Science.
Please find our open-access article via this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.70255 Abstract: Cetacean epibionts offer noninvasive insights into host health, physiology, and spatial ecology, yet quantitative assessments in wild populations remain scarce. Although vessel-based observations may be limited by field of view and analyst input, unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs; drones) are increasingly used to monitor cetacean health indices, enhancing observational availability and reproducibility. However, the suitability of drones for quantifying epibiota has not been thoroughly evaluated. Implementing a standardized workflow, we compared dorsal proportional epibiont coverage estimates derived from drone-based imagery and traditional vessel-based techniques across reproductive classes of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). We analyzed 32 paired datasets using pixel-based methods, incorporating semiautomated graph-cut segmentation and iterative color-thresholding. Drone-derived estimates of epibiont coverage consistently exceeded vessel-based measures, which averaged 58% of the relative coverage estimated from corresponding drone imagery, partly attributable to variable lighting during image capture. Nevertheless, 94% of paired observations differed by less than 5% in absolute coverage, indicating strong agreement. While refinement of flight parameters, image resolution, and further validation are recommended, we demonstrate that drones can provide a reliable source of quantitative epibiont data, with potential applicability across diverse epibiont–host systems, benefiting cetacean population health monitoring programs and informing conservation strategies, particularly for elusive or understudied species. Citation: Taylor, I. A. R., T. Fettermann, B. McGovern, D. S. Schoeman, A. B. McCallum, and S. H. Stack. 2026. “Comparing Drone and Vessel-Based Imaging to Quantify Epibiont Coverage on Humpback Whales.” Marine Mammal Science 42, no. 4: e70255. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.70255. If you have any questions or want to discuss the study further, please feel free to reach out. Sincerely, Isabel Taylor, B.Sc. (Hons) Email: [email protected]
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