BC303: *Priority CASE Project* Population identity and foraging ecology of South Georgia humpback whales

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This project will investigate the population identity, connectedness, demography and habitat use preferences of humpbacks on a recently recolonised feeding ground and compare these with early 20th century patterns from whalebone collections. Population origins will be investigated, using multiple genetic markers to assess the association of South Georgia with low latitude wintering grounds across the South Atlantic. Population demography will be measured by estimating whale ages using epigenetic methods, establishing if patterns mirror those from the whaling period, or if the colonisers are predominantly juveniles. Over a century of oceanic environmental change, humpback whale feeding preferences may also have shifted; using stable isotopes, this project will compare modern samples with local prey, and with historical humpback bones, to identify and compare trophic patterns over time.