Best Practice Framework and Principles for Monitoring the Effect of Coastal Development on Marine Mammals

Hawkins, Elizabeth R.; Harcourt, Robert; Bejder, Lars; Brooks, Lyndon O; Grech, Alana; Christiansen, Fredrik; Marsh, Helene; Harrison, Peter Lynton

doi:10.3389/fmars.2017.00059

Cited by 19 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 101 publications

(139 reference statements)

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“…In Australia, most of the human population growth is near the coast, with 85% of the population currently living within 50 km of the coastline (Clark and Johnston, 2016). As a result, the demand for industrial and residential infrastructure, shipping, aquaculture, and tourism activities has accelerated rapidly and so too has the pressure on marine mammals inhabiting coastal waters (Hawkins et al, 2017). This is particularly the case for north Western Australia (WA), where large-scale coastal habitat modification to support expansion of mining and petroleum industries has occurred (and is increasing), and assessment of the impacts to coastal dolphins continues to be limited due to a lack of baseline information (Preen et al, 1997;Allen et al, 2012;Bejder et al, 2012;Brown et al, 2012;Hanf et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photographic Capture-Recapture Analysis Reveals a Large Population of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) With Low Site Fidelity off the North West Cape, Western Australia

et al. 2020

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Little is known about the ecology of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) inhabiting the coastal waters of tropical north-western Australia. We used photoidentification data collected between 2013 and 2015, site fidelity indexes and capturerecapture models to estimate the abundance and site fidelity patterns of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (T. aduncus) inhabiting the coastal waters off the North West Cape (NWC), Western Australia. A standardized site fidelity index (SSFI) indicated low site fidelity (SSFI = 0.019) at the population level to the 130 km 2 study area. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) of individual re-sight rates classified 58% of individuals as "non-residents." Open POPAN modeling estimated a super-population size of 311 (95% CI: 249-373) individuals over the study period. A maximum likelihood transient model which considers both resident and non-resident individuals in a population, estimated a resident population of 141 (95% CI: 121-161) individuals and a super-population of 370 (95% CI: 333-407) individuals. These models indicate that a large population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins of relatively high density (an average of 2.4-2.8 bottlenose dolphins per km 2 ) inhabits the waters off the NWC. The large number of both resident and non-resident bottlenose dolphins found throughout the coastal waters off the NWC suggest this area, as well as neighboring waters outside our study area, are of high importance to this species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photographic Capture-Recapture Analysis Reveals a Large Population of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) With Low Site Fidelity off the North West Cape, Western Australia

et al. 2020

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“…This species is currently listed by the global International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Least Concern (Wells, A Natoli & Braulik, 2019); however, the high geographic and genetic differentiation of the species makes it difficult to assess their actual vulnerability to anthropogenic pressures. In general, coastal populations often face multiple local threats to their conservation, including direct and indirect disturbance and harassment by high levels of boat traffic and commercial dolphin watching activities, and may warrant a higher classification (Hawkins et al, 2017). For example, a quantitative threat assessment concluded that the Fiordland bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) subpopulation qualifies as Critically Endangered based on the number of mature individuals and the predicted rate of subpopulation decline over three generations (Currey et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tour boats affect the activity patterns of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Bocas del Toro, Panama

Kassamali-Fox

Christiansen

May‐Collado

et al. 2020

PeerJ

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Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of the Bocas del Toro archipelago are targeted by the largest boat-based cetacean watching operation in Panama. Tourism is concentrated in Dolphin Bay, home to a population of resident dolphins. Previous studies have shown that tour boats elicit short-term changes in dolphin behavior and communication; however, the relationship of these responses to the local population’s biology and ecology is unclear. Studying the effects of tour boats on dolphin activity patterns and behavior can provide information about the biological significance of these responses. Here, we investigated the effects of tour boat activity on bottlenose dolphin activity patterns in Bocas del Toro, Panama over 10 weeks in 2014. Markov chain models were used to assess the effect of tour boats on dolphin behavioral transition probabilities in both control and impact scenarios. Effect of tour boat interactions was quantified by comparing transition probabilities of control and impact chains. Data were also used to construct dolphin activity budgets. Markov chain analysis revealed that in the presence of tour boats, dolphins were less likely to stay socializing and were more likely to begin traveling, and less likely to begin foraging while traveling. Additionally, activity budgets for foraging decreased and traveling increased as an effect of tour boat presence. These behavioral responses are likely to have energetic costs for individuals which may ultimately result in population-level impacts. Boat operator compliance with Panamanian whale watching regulations is urgently needed to minimize potential long-term impacts on this small, genetically distinct population and to ensure the future viability of the local tourism industry.

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“…As a result of these variations, predicting the biological consequences of cumulative impacts on disrupted behavior requires data based on several elements: careful interpretation of the contexts of exposure, the nature and duration of displacements, how disturbance manifested over time, mitigating roles of nearby alternative quality habitat, and whether displaced individuals returned or adjusted, ideally from a longitudinal perspective FIGURE 1 | A coastal construction project to replace a double-leaf bascule bridge exposed prime bottlenose dolphin feeding and socializing habitat to 58 months of noise pollution and habitat degradation. (Bejder et al, 2006a,b;Ellison et al, 2012;Williams et al, 2015;Gomez et al, 2016;Shannon et al, 2016;Bossley et al, 2017;Hawkins et al, 2017;Avila et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Ethology of Adaptation: Dolphins Stop Feeding but Continue Socializing in Construction-Degraded Habitat

Weaver¹

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Adaptation is a biological mechanism by which organisms adjust physically or behaviorally to changes in their environment to become more suited to it. This is a report of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins’ behavioral adaptations to environmental changes from coastal construction in prime habitat. Construction was a 5-year bridge removal and replacement project in a tidal inlet along west central Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coastline. It occurred in two consecutive 2.5-year phases to replace the west and east lanes, respectively. Lane phases involved demolition/removal of above-water cement structures, below-water cement structures, and reinstallation of below + above water cement structures (N = 2,098 photos). Data were longitudinal (11 years: 2005–2016, N = 1,219 surveys 2–4 times/week/11 years, N = 4,753 dolphins, 591.95 h of observation in the construction zone, 126 before-construction surveys, 568 during-construction surveys, 525 after-construction surveys). The dependent variable was numbers of dolphins (count) in the immediate construction zone. Three analyses examined presence/absence, total numbers of dolphins, and numbers of dolphins engaged in five behavior states (forage-feeding, socializing, direct travel, meandering travel, and mixed states) across construction. Analyses were GLIMMIX generalized linear models for logistic and negative binomial regressions to account for observation time differences as an exposure (offset) variable. Results showed a higher probability of dolphin presence than absence before construction began, more total dolphins before construction, and significant decreases in the numbers of feeding but not socializing dolphins. Significant changes in temporal rhythms also revealed finer-grained adaptations. Conclusions were that the dolphins adapted to construction in two ways, by establishing feeding locations beyond the disturbed construction zone and shifting temporal rhythms of behaviors that they continued to exhibit in the construction zone to later in the day when construction activities were minimized. This is the first study to suggest that the dolphins learned to cope with coastal construction with variable adjustments.

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Best Practice Framework and Principles for Monitoring the Effect of Coastal Development on Marine Mammals

Cited by 19 publications

References 101 publications

Photographic Capture-Recapture Analysis Reveals a Large Population of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) With Low Site Fidelity off the North West Cape, Western Australia

Photographic Capture-Recapture Analysis Reveals a Large Population of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) With Low Site Fidelity off the North West Cape, Western Australia

Tour boats affect the activity patterns of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Bocas del Toro, Panama

An Ethology of Adaptation: Dolphins Stop Feeding but Continue Socializing in Construction-Degraded Habitat

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