Abstract: Balaenoptera acutorostrata, as a first-class protected animal in China, is listed in the IUCN catalogue and the CITES appendix. They migrate in various sea areas around the world. Driven by environmental change and human activities, it has become one of the most endangered taxa globally. To further understand the distribution and migratory corridors of B. acutorostrata, we assessed their suitable habitats by establishing a seasonal species combining distribution model based on utilized data records and seven environmental variables, as well as their seasonal migration corridor by circuit connectivity theory and least-cost path analysis. The results showed that the established seasonal distribution model performed well. There were significant differences in the seasonal distribution of B. acutorostrata, with an overall trend of shifting towards higher latitudes in spring and summer, and towards lower latitudes in autumn and winter. Temperature and sea depth were important factors affecting the seasonal distribution of B. acutorostrata. The migration corridor showed strong seasonality, mainly located in shallow coastal waters. There were multiple migration corridors in different seasons to connect suitable habitats. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using species distribution models and connectivity analysis to predict the migratory corridors of marine animals, which could provide essential knowledge for adaptive conservation and management strategies of B. acutorostrata.

Key words: Balaenoptera acutorostrata, seasonal distribution, migration corridor, prediction, protection