Valérie Chosson

Marine and Freshwater Research Institute | MRI · Pelagic Department

The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a migratory filter-feeding species that is susceptible to ingest plastics while lunge feeding across the oceans. Plastic additives, such as phthalates, are compounds that are added to plastics to give them specific characteristics, such as flexibility. These so-called plasticizers are currently raising major...

The photo identification process is based on the identification of a unique animal from a photograph of distinctive body features. Scientists compare these photographs to match one another and assign to an individual a series of observations and other relevant data. As a leader in the use of Photo Identification in Iceland since the 1980´s, the MF...

In this study we aim to assess the daily ingestion rates of synthetic particles by the fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) that feed off the western coast of Iceland. To do so, we collected and analysed samples from the stomach content of 25 fin whales, consisting solely of northern krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica). The particles found consisted of...

Biodiversity in the oceans has dramatically declined since the beginning of the industrial era, with accelerated loss of marine biodiversity impairing the ocean's capacity to maintain vital ecosystem services. A few organisms epitomize the damaging and long‐lasting effects of anthropogenic exploitation: some whale species, for instance, were brough...

Pollution of the marine environment by litter composed of plastics is a growing concern. Chemical additives such as organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs), which are added to plastics to improve their qualities, are in focus because they allegedly cause adverse effects on marine fauna. Here we analyse OPFR levels in the muscle of fin whales becau...

Humpback whales were near depletion during the mid-20th century, but for the last two decades they have been recovering rapidly, particularly in polar regions the last few years. The humpback is a migrating baleen whale whose behaviour is believed to be largely discrete between their winter breeding and summer feeding grounds. Recent research on th...

The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) has systematically recorded cetacean strandings in Iceland since 1981. The MFRI and cooperating institutions have set up an official protocol (2005) for responses and collection of information. In the long-term such databases are regarded as an important tool for collecting information on the stat...

Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT; Thunnus thynnus) is a large highly mobile predator fish species in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Knowledge of its trophic role in marine food webs in summer feeding areas is presently based on recent (1980s-2010s) sampling in the Bay of Biscay, Gulfs of Maine and St. Lawrence, and from historical (1950...

Chosson-P, V.; Shears, G.; Rasmussen, M.; Bertulli, C.G,; Stevick, P.; Rickert, S.; Pampoulie, C.;. Sigurjónsson, J.; Víkingson, G. A., 2015, Long-distance migration pattern of Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Icelandic waters. , poster presented at Society for Marine Mammalogy’s 21st Biennial Conference, San Fransisco, USA, 12-14-2015

The common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the most abundant mammalian top predator in Icelandic continental shelf waters. Here, an account is given on the first systematic research programme into the feeding ecology of common minke whales in Icelandic waters based on an analysis of minke whale stomach contents data collected in Iceland...

The North Atlantic fin whale Balaenoptera physalus undertakes long-distance annual migration between high-latitude summer feeding locations and low-latitude winter mating locations, like most of the baleen whales. However, the uncertainties remaining concerning the mating location and route of migration render any biological investigations challeng...

The North Atlantic fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) undertakes long-distance annual migration between high-latitude summer feeding locations and low-latitude winter mating locations, like most of the baleen whales. By statistically comparing genotype profiles of mother-foetus pairs (n = 23) to that of the potential alleged father (n = 139) capture...

Allelic variation at nine microsatellite loci and the Pan I locus provides evidence that Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) around Iceland is genetically structured (FST = 0.003 and FST = 0.261, respectively). A total of 2534 cod were sampled at 22 spawning locations. For both types of markers, most of the significant pairwise FST resulted from northeaste...

Pampoulie, C., Skirnisdottir, S., Hauksdottir, S., Olafsson, K., Eiríksson, H., Chosson, V., Hreggvidsson, G. O., Gunnarsson, G. H., and Hjorleifsdottir, S. 2011. A pilot genetic study reveals the absence of spatial genetic structure in Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) on fishing grounds in Icelandic waters. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68...

SUMMARY In this paper we provide the results of an ageing comparison analysis between vertebrae and spines of bluefin tuna collected from longline fisheries in the south waters of Island in 2001- 2004. A total of 100 vertebrae an 100 spines were aged from the same specimen. The range of aged specimens is from 4 to 17 years old. Both calcified struc...