Behavioural responses of harbour seals to human‐induced disturbances

Andersen, Signe May; Teilmann, Jonas; Dietz, Runé; Schmidt, Niels Martin; Miller, Lee A.

doi:10.1002/aqc.1244

Cited by 41 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…It might be more useful to focus attention on boating practices. The nature of a boat's approach has been shown to affect the response of harbour seals (Allen et al 1984, Suryan & Harvey 1999, Andersen et al 2012. Our observations during the present study confirmed that in some cases seals entered the water due to backwash from the boat or to boat operation (stopping and changing direction).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

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Haulout patterns of Saimaa ringed seals and their response to boat traffic during the moulting season

Niemi¹,

Auttila²,

Valtonen³

et al. 2013

Endang. Species. Res.

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Conservation of the Critically Endangered ringed seal Phoca hispida saimensis population in Lake Saimaa in Finland requires broader knowledge of the behavioural ecology of this subspecies. Understanding Saimaa ringed seal haulout patterns and their response to boat traffic is crucial for designing sustainable land use and tourism guidelines. Responses of unidentified seals to small outboard motor boat traffic were studied during the moulting season. The median distance at which the seals responded to an approaching boat was 240 m. GPS-phone tags were used to study both circadian and seasonal haulout behaviour patterns of individual seals (n = 8) during the open-water season. The average post-moulting haulout duration was 6 ± 5 h (SD), with a maximum of over 26 h. The seals spent more time hauled out at night (between 21:00 and 06:00 h) after the moult. The time spent hauled out and the haulout frequency declined from early summer to autumn. An individual seal had an average of 13 haulout sites, which were an average of 2.5 km apart. Approximately half of these haulout sites were located in the core 50% of the individual seals' home ranges. The high level of site fidelity emphasizes the need to identify suitable haulout areas and to develop measures for protecting the main resting sites of this endangered population. Additionally, guidelines for seal watching should be developed in order to mitigate the potential disturbance caused by increasing tourism on Lake Saimaa.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Some studies (e.g. Andersen et al 2012), however, have reported greater response distances in harbour seals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Haulout patterns of Saimaa ringed seals and their response to boat traffic during the moulting season

Niemi¹,

Auttila²,

Valtonen³

et al. 2013

Endang. Species. Res.

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“…On the other hand, Kastelein et al (2006) in a similar experiment with different types of sound stimuli found that the same 2 seal species did not habituate; however, here the seals were not fed. Harbour seals fled a shorter distance when disturbed by people during the breeding season compared to before and after the breeding season (Andersen et al 2012). For wild porpoises, for example at our study site, some individuals may tolerate pinger signals better than others due to motivational differences, such as hunger.…”

Section: Gradual Lessening Of Response To Pinger Signalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pingers cause temporary habitat displacement in the harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena

Kyhn¹,

Jørgensen²,

Carstensen³

et al. 2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Several studies have shown that pingers mitigate porpoise bycatch and thus pinger use is now mandatory in some fisheries -although the long-term effects of pinger exposure on porpoises have not been well studied. The effects of 2 types of pingers (Airmar: 10 kHz tone; SaveWave Black Saver: 30−160 kHz sweep) on the presence of wild harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, were investigated in 2 areas. Pinger spacing within the areas was similar to that used in commercial fisheries. Two scenarios were tested: (1) pingers were periodically activated and deactivated during 6 periods resembling the deployment and recovery of nets in a gillnet fishery, and (2) pingers were active continuously for 28 d. Acoustic dataloggers (T-PODs) were deployed, 4 within the pinger areas and 3 in control areas, and detected porpoise echolocation activity throughout the entire study. During the periodic-exposure scenario, the porpoise detection rate was reduced by 56% when pingers were active. The reduction was larger for the SaveWave pingers (65%) than for the Airmar pingers (40%). There was a tendency for the encounter rate to increase after the first 2−4 periodic exposures, which could indicate gradual habituation. During the continuous-exposure scenario, the detection rate was reduced by 65% throughout the 28 d with no sign of habituation. In the control areas (2.5, 3 and 5 km distant), neither a decrease nor an increase in detection rate was observed, suggesting that porpoises were displaced either < 2.5 km or > 5 km away. If pingers are used as deterrent devices, the impact of habitat exclusion must therefore be considered concurrently with mitigation of bycatch, especially when regulating fisheries in Marine Protected Areas.

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“…, Andersen et al . ), the extent of previous exposure to human presence (Yorio and Boersma , Boren et al . , Holcomb et al .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The knowledge and evaluation of these factors is fundamental for the creation of management and conservation strategies for this type of species (Andersen et al . ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in behavioral responses of the South American sea lion to tourism disturbance: Implications for tourism management

Pavez

Muñoz

Barilari

et al. 2014

Marine Mammal Science

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Due to the highly predictable patterns of occupancy on land, pinnipeds are one of the main marine resources observed by tourists, which, in turn, could strongly perturb their behavior. We analyzed the behavioral responses of the South American sea lion (Otaria byronia) to the presence of tourists and its variation according to temporal (2012 vs. 2013 austral summer months), spatial (breeding vs. nonbreeding sites of the colony), and age/sex class (adult males vs. subadult males vs. females) factors, and determined the relationship between the degree of responses by sea lions and the distance of the vessel to the colony, visitation time, and tourist behavior. We recorded 1,232 boat visits during 2012 and 2013. Subadult males were the age/sex class most affected in the breeding site, followed by adult females at the nonbreeding site. More disturbing conduct by tourists, longer visitation time, and vessels closer to the colony caused greater responses by sea lions. The established minimum distance from the colony is not enforced, generating an adverse response by sea lions. We recommend the development of management plans with the local coastal communities to decrease the impact of ecotourism on the species and enhance the sustainability of this industry.

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Behavioural responses of harbour seals to human‐induced disturbances

Cited by 41 publications

References 39 publications

Haulout patterns of Saimaa ringed seals and their response to boat traffic during the moulting season

Haulout patterns of Saimaa ringed seals and their response to boat traffic during the moulting season

Pingers cause temporary habitat displacement in the harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena

Variation in behavioral responses of the South American sea lion to tourism disturbance: Implications for tourism management

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