Factors to consider in evaluating the management and conservation effectiveness of a whale sanctuary to protect and conserve the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)     

Patricia R. Hinch  Elizabeth M. De Santo 《Marine Policy》2011

This paper examines key factors used in protecting the migratory North Atlantic right whale within the context of a marine protected area (MPA) system, using the Grand Manan Whale Conservation Area, in New Brunswick Canada, as a case study example. Designated as a conservation area in 1993, before the Oceans Act came into effect, the Grand Manan conservation area currently does not form part of the Canadian network of MPAs. Given the possibility that MPA designation may occur, the paper examines factors that should be considered in meeting International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) MPA design criteria and IUCN evaluation model requirements. An MPA evaluation framework based on an IUCN evaluation model (Hockings et al., 2000 [1]) is designed to assess the effectiveness of an MPA in protecting a migratory right whale. Case study results indicate that current management and research activities for the Grand Manan conservation area address most governance, biophysical and socio-economic issues under an IUCN evaluation framework. On a site basis, it is recommended that the Grand Manan conservation area be designated as a component of the Canadian network of MPAs and that regulations be developed and implemented under the Species at Risk Act to clearly define activities considered damaging or destructive to right whale critical habitat. Recommendations also suggest the preparation of a combined site management-action plan for the Grand Manan conservation area indicating how activities specified in North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Strategy will be implemented locally. On a regional and international basis, recommendations call for an internationally coordinated and integrated approach to right whale protection within the context of a network of designated critical habitat areas. Recommended activities include: continued Canadian participation in cross-border research and actions to mitigate threats to the right whales over their migratory range; development of a regional right whale management and monitoring strategy; and designation of additional critical habitats in national/international waters. It is further recommended that the evaluation framework developed by this paper be used as a model in assessing the conservation and management effectiveness of MPAs protecting other migratory marine species.  相似文献   

Inter-basin movements of Mediterranean sperm whales provide insight into their population structure and conservation     

A. Frantzis  S. AiroldiG. Notarbartolo-di-Sciara  C. JohnsonS. Mazzariol 《Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers》2011,58(4):454-459

The sperm whale is one of the very few deep diving mammal species in the Mediterranean Sea. Following a rare mass stranding of male sperm whales in the Adriatic Sea in December 2009, photo-identification methods were used in order to investigate previous sightings of the stranded whales in the region. Fluke photos of the stranded whales were compared with those of 153 and 128 free-ranging individuals photographed in the western and eastern Mediterranean basins, respectively. Three out of the seven stranded whales had been previously photo-identified and some of them more than once. To reach the stranding place, two of these re-identified whales performed long-range inter-basin movements of about 1600-2100 km (in a straight line) either through the Strait of Sicily or the Strait of Messina. In addition, comparisons among all whales photographed in the two Mediterranean basins revealed that one more individual first photographed in the western basin (1991) was re-identified 13 years later in the eastern basin (2004). These three cases provide the first conclusive evidence of inter-basin movement of sperm whales in the Mediterranean Sea. Inter-basin gene flow is important for the survival of the small and endangered Mediterranean sperm whale population. Mitigating the disturbance created by human activities in the straits area is crucial for its conservation.  相似文献   

Severity of killer whale behavioral responses to ship noise: A dose–response study     

《Marine pollution bulletin》2014,80(1-2):254-260

Critical habitats of at-risk populations of northeast Pacific “resident” killer whales can be heavily trafficked by large ships, with transits occurring on average once every hour in busy shipping lanes. We modeled behavioral responses of killer whales to ship transits during 35 “natural experiments” as a dose–response function of estimated received noise levels in both broadband and audiogram-weighted terms. Interpreting effects is contingent on a subjective and seemingly arbitrary decision about severity threshold indicating a response. Subtle responses were observed around broadband received levels of 130 dB re 1 μPa (rms); more severe responses are hypothesized to occur at received levels beyond 150 dB re 1 μPa, where our study lacked data. Avoidance responses are expected to carry minor energetic costs in terms of increased energy expenditure, but future research must assess the potential for reduced prey acquisition, and potential population consequences, under these noise levels.  相似文献   

Differences in ratios of stable isotopes of nitrogen in long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) in the western and eastern North Atlantic   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Abend  Alan G.; Smith  Tim D. 《ICES Journal of Marine Science》1995,52(5):837-841

  相似文献   

Twelve years of tracking 52-Hz whale calls from a unique source in the North Pacific     

William A. Watkins  Mary Ann Daher  Joseph E. George  David Rodriguez 《Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers》2004,51(12):1889-1901

A unique whale call with 50–52 Hz emphasis from a single source has been tracked over 12 years in the central and eastern North Pacific. These calls, referred to as 52-Hz calls, were monitored and analyzed from acoustic data recorded by hydrophones of the US Navy Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) and other arrays. The calls were noticed first in 1989, and have been detected and tracked since 1992. No other calls with similar characteristics have been identified in the acoustic data from any hydrophone system in the North Pacific basin. Only one series of these 52-Hz calls has been recorded at a time, with no call overlap, suggesting that a single whale produced the calls. The calls were recorded from August to February with most in December and January. The species producing these calls is unknown. The tracks of the 52-Hz whale were different each year, and varied in length from 708 to 11,062 km with travel speeds ranging from 0.7 to 3.8 km/h. Tracks included (A) meandering over short ranges, (B) predominantly west-to-east movement, and (C) mostly north-to-south travel. These tracks consistently appeared to be unrelated to the presence or movement of other whale species (blue, fin and humpback) monitored year-round with the same hydrophones.  相似文献   

Distribution and relative abundance of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena L.), white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris Gray), and minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacepede) around the British Isles     

Northridge  Simon P.; Tasker  Mark L.; Webb  Andrew; Williams  James M. 《ICES Journal of Marine Science》1995,52(1):55-66

  相似文献   

Establishment and closure of the directed Florida whiting (Menticirrhus americanus) fishery and implications for North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) conservation and management     

Juan C. Levesque 《Marine Policy》2009

Today, ocean and coastal marine resource management is extremely complex. Marine resource managers are charged with conserving and managing many diverse species. Southern kingfish (Menticirrhus americanus), commonly known as whiting, are found from southern New England to Florida. During the fall through winter, western North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are primarily found in the coastal nearshore waters off South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, overlapping the whiting's range and habitat.  相似文献   

The biogeography of the North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica)     

Edward J. Gregr  Kenneth O. Coyle 《Progress in Oceanography》2009,80(3-4):188-198

  相似文献   

Evidence of marine mammal predation of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) on its marine migration     

《Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers》2014

Temperature and depth logging tags were implanted into adult eels released on Atlantic west coasts of France and Ireland to study their oceanic migration behavior. For three of the tags, 25 to 256 days after release there was a dramatic rise in temperature from 10 °C to 36 °C and the dive profile changed from depths of 300–1000 m to repeated ascents to the surface. This indicated that the eels carrying the tags had been eaten by a mammalian predator. Two of the tags had sufficient sampling rate to resolve the dives in detail. They recorded a total of 91 dives to maximum depths of 250–860 m lasting 11–12 min and with surface intervals of 5–7 min. More than two thirds of the dives included a rapid descent from approximately 500 m to 600–700 m. From this we infer that the predator was most likely a deep-diving toothed whale. The dives logged while the tags were inside the predator revealed that the temperature usually decreased during dives, and increased again during surface periods. The temperature drops during dives were probably caused by the ingestion of prey or water. These observations provide insights into the behavior of toothed whales foraging in the mesopelagic zone.  相似文献   

Distribution and relative density of cetaceans in the Hauraki Gulf,New Zealand     

SL Dwyer  DM Clement  MDM Pawley  KA Stockin 《新西兰海洋与淡水研究杂志》2016,50(3):457-480

Understanding species distributions, and how they change in space and time, is vital when prioritising conservation or management initiatives. We assessed the distribution and density patterns of common dolphins (Delphinus sp.), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. Dedicated boat-based surveys were conducted in the inner Hauraki Gulf (IHG) and off Great Barrier Island (GBI) during 2010–2012. Generalised linear models were used to investigate temporal changes in relative densities and kernel density estimation was implemented to examine spatial trends. Common dolphins were widely distributed during all seasons, with higher densities observed during winter and spring in the IHG but during autumn off GBI. There was inter-annual variation in Bryde’s whale distribution, with high densities recorded off GBI in 2011. Bottlenose dolphins were infrequently sighted in the IHG but regularly encountered off GBI, with the highest densities during spring and summer.  相似文献