Knowledge of mammalian diversity is still surprisingly disparate, both regionally and taxonomically. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of the conservation status and distribution of the world's mammals. Data, compiled by 1700+ experts, cover all 5487 species, including marine mammals. Global macroecological patterns are very different for land and marine species but suggest common mechanisms driving diversity and endemism across systems. Compared with land species, threat levels are higher among marine mammals, driven by different processes (accidental mortality and pollution, rather than habitat loss), and are spatially distinct (peaking in northern oceans, rather than in Southeast Asia). Marine mammals are also disproportionately poorly known. These data are made freely available to support further scientific developments and conservation action.

Summary 1.The status of small cetaceans in the North Sea and adjacent waters has been of concern for many years. Shipboard and aerial line transect surveys were conducted to provide accurate and precise estimates of abundance as a basis for conservation strategy in European waters. 2. The survey, known as SCANS (Small Cetacean Abundance in the North Sea), was conducted in summer 1994 and designed to generate precise and unbiased abundance estimates. Thus the intensity of survey was high, and data collection and analysis methods allowed for the probability of detection of animals on the transect line being less than unity and, for shipboard surveys, also allowed for animal movement in response to the survey platform. 3. Shipboard transects covered 20 000 km in an area of 890 000 km 2 . Aerial transects covered 7000 km in an area of 150 000 km 2 . 4. Three species dominated the data. Harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena were encountered throughout the survey area except in the Channel and the southern North Sea. Whitebeaked dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris and minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata were found mainly in the north-western North Sea. 5. Phocoena phocoena abundance for the entire survey area was estimated as 341 366 [coefficient of variation (CV) = 0·14; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 260 000-449 000]. The estimated number of B. acutorostrata was 8445 (CV = 0·24; 95% CI 5000-13 500). The estimate for L. albirostris based on confirmed sightings of this species was 7856 (CV = 0·30; 95% CI = 4000 -13 000). When Atlantic whitesided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus and Lagenorhynchus spp. sightings were included, this estimate increased to 11 760 (CV = 0·26; 95% CI 5900-18 500). 6. Shortbeaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis were found almost exclusively in the Celtic Sea. Abundance was estimated as 75 450 (CV = 0·67; 95% CI = 23 000 -149 000). 7. Current assessments and recommendations by international fora concerning the impact on P. phocoena of bycatch in gillnet fisheries in the North Sea and adjacent waters are based on these estimates.

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Capture-recapture methods are frequently employed to estimate abundance of cetaceans using photographic techniques and a variety of statistical models. However, there are many unresolved issues regarding the selection and manipulation of images that can potentially impose bias on resulting estimates. To examine the potential impact of these issues we circulated a test data set of dorsal fin images from bottlenose dolphins to several independent research groups. Photo-identification methods were generally similar, but the selection, scoring, and matching of images varied greatly amongst groups. Based on these results we make the following recommendations. Researchers should: (1) determine the degree of marking, or level of distinctiveness, and use images of sufficient quality to recognize animals of that level of distinctiveness;(2) ensure that markings are sufficiently distinct to eliminate the potential for "twins" to occur; (3) stratify data sets by distinctiveness and generate a series of abundance estimates to investigate the influence of including animals of varying degrees of markings; and (4) strive to examine and incorporate variability among analysts into capture-recapture estimation. In this paper we summarize these potential sources of bias and provide recommendations for best practices for using natural markings in a capture-recapture framework.

Summary1. Grey seals Halichoerus grypus Fab. are large, numerous marine top predators. Fears concerning competition with ®sheries have prompted calls for control measures. However, little is known about the areas where grey seals forage or the distances they may travel. 2. The movements of 14 grey seals caught at the Farnes in north-east England (12) and Abertay in eastern Scotland (2) between August 1991 and July 1993 were investigated using Argos Satellite Relay Data Loggers (SRDLs). A total of 1461 seal days of location and behavioural data (mean 104´3 days per seal) covered all months of the year except February and March. 3. The seal movements were on two geographical scales: long and distant travel (up to 2100 km away); and local, repeated trips from the Farnes, Abertay and other haul-out sites to discrete oshore areas. 4. Long distance travel included visits to Orkney, Shetland, the Faroes, and far oshore into the Eastern Atlantic and the North Sea. During travel the seals moved at speeds of between 75 and 100 km day ±1 (0´87 and 1´16 m s ±1 ). Most of the time, long distance travel was directed to known haul-out sites. The large distances travelled indicate that grey seals that haul out at the Farnes are not ecologically isolated from those at Orkney, Shetland and the Faroes. 5. In 88% of trips to sea, individual seals returned to the same haul-out site from which they departed. The durations of these trips were short (mean 2´33 days) and their destinations at sea were often localized areas characterized by a gravel/sand seabed sediment. This is the preferred burrowing habitat of sandeels, an important part of grey seal diet. This, and the fact that dives in these areas were primarily to the seabed, leads us to conclude that these were foraging areas. The limited extents of return-trips from a haul-out site (mean 39´8 km) suggest that the direct impact of seal predation may be greater on ®sheries within this coastal zone, especially those near seal haul-out sites, rather than on ®sheries further oshore.6. An average of 43% of all the seals' time was spent within 10 km of a haul-out site, although localized foraging areas were identi®ed considerably further oshore. Proximity to a haul-out may provide safety from predation. Alternatively, these periods may be used for rest or social interaction, or we may be underestimating foraging activity near haul-out sites. 7. We suggest that the movement patterns observed in this study may persist through time and across the grey seals which haul-out at the Farnes. We also suggest that a study such as this could be combined with diet studies and haul-out censuses to map foraging intensity. Such information is an essential component of seal±®shery interaction models, upon which management decisions should be based.

ABSTRACT1. As part of a project to identify marine protected areas (MPAs) in Spanish Mediterranean waters, habitat preference models were developed using 11 years of survey data to provide predictions of relative density for cetacean species occurring off southern Spain.2. Models for bottlenose, striped and common dolphin described, firstly, probability of occurrence (using GLMs) and, secondly, group size (using linear models) as predicted by habitat type defined by a range of physical and oceanographic covariates. Models for Risso's dolphin, long-finned pilot, sperm and beaked whales used only the first stage because of data limitations.3. Model results were used to define the boundaries of three proposed Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) (under the EU Habitats Directive) and one proposed Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) (under the Barcelona Convention).4. The study illustrates the value of habitat preference modelling as a tool to help identify potential MPAs. The analyses incorporate environmental data in a spatial prediction that is an improvement over simpler descriptions of animal occurrence. Contiguous areas covering a specified proportion of relative abundance can readily be defined. Areas with apparently good habitat but few observations can be identified for future research or monitoring programmes.5. Models can be refitted as new observations and additional environmental data become available, allowing changes in habitat preference to be investigated and monitoring how well MPAs are likely to be affording protection.6. The study represents an important contribution to the implementation of the Habitats Directive by the Spanish government by providing a robust scientific basis for the definition of SAC and providing results to inform conservation objectives and management plans for these areas. The results identified areas that are important for a number of cetacean species, thus illustrating the potential for MPAs to improve cetacean conservation generally in the Alboran Sea, a

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Knowledge of demographic parameters of most cetacean populations is scarce because of problems associated with sampling open populations of wide-ranging animals. In recent years, capture-recapture models have been developed to address these problems. We used a photo-identification dataset collected from a population of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus between 1999 and 2004 around 2 islands of the Azores archipelago, to demonstrate the use of some of these methods. A variety of open models and Pollock's robust design were applied to estimate population size, survival probability and emigration rates. Using only the estimates with the lowest coefficients of variation, the annual abundance of adult dolphins varied between 202 (95% CI: 148 to 277) and 334 (95% CI: 237 to 469), according to the Jolly-Seber method, and between 114 (95% CI: 85 to 152) and 288 (95% CI: 196 to 423), according to the robust design. The number of subadult individuals varied from 300 (95% CI: 232 to 387) to 434 (95% CI: 316 to 597) based on the Jolly-Seber method. The open models yielded estimates of adult survival (0.970 ± 0.029 SE) that were significantly higher than those for subadults (0.815 ± 0.083 SE). Movement patterns of dolphins in the Azores seem to follow a Markovian model, in which dolphins seen in the study area in 1 yr show higher probability of emigrating in the following year. Despite some limitations, this is the first study to model transience and temporary emigration in a dolphin population.