Characterization of Ship Traffic in Right Whale Critical Habitat

Ward‐Geiger, Leslie I.; Silber, Gregory K.; Baumstark, René; Pulfer, Tanya L.

doi:10.1080/08920750590951965

Cited by 53 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(17 reference statements)

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, increased port and coastal development and an associated increase in shipping are likely to be emerging management issues for a rapidly increasing breeding population of humpback whales. Increased shipping can lead to increased ship strikes and have a serious effect on the recovery of whale species, which has been well documented in North Atlantic right whales (Ward-Geiger et al 2005).The identification of important wintering areas for humpback whales in the GBR is crucial for the proper management of human activities in these areas. There is a high probability of increased rates of human interactions with whales, such as through shipping, and better demarcation of critical habitat for breeding humpback whales in the GBRMP will be important.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Identification of humpback whale breeding and calving habitat in the Great Barrier Reef

Smith

Grantham²,

Gales³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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During the winter months, from June to September, humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae breed and calve in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) after migrating north from Antarctic waters. Clearly defined wintering areas for breeding and calving comparable to those identified in other parts of the world have not yet been identified for humpback whales in the GBR Marine Park (GBRMP), mainly because of its large size, which prohibits broad-scale surveys. To identify important wintering areas in the GBRMP, we developed a predictive spatial habitat model using the Maxent modelling method and presence-only sighting data from nondedicated aerial surveys. The model was further validated using a small independent satellite tag data set of 12 whales migrating north into the GBR. The model identified restricted ranges in water depth (30 to 58 m, highest probability 49 m) and sea surface temperature (21 to 23°C, highest probability 21.8°C) and identified 2 core areas of higher probability of whale occurrence in the GBRMP, which correspond well with the movements of satellite tagged whales. We propose that one of the identified core areas is a potentially important wintering area for humpback whales and the other a migration route. With an estimated increase in port and coastal development and shipping activity in the GBRMP and a rapidly increasing population of whales recovering from whaling off the east Australian coast, the rate of human interactions with whales is likely to increase. Identifying important areas for breeding and calving is essential for the future management of human interactions with breeding humpback whales. KEY WORDS: Humpback whale · Megaptera novaeangliae · Spatial habitat modelling · Great Barrier Reef Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 447: [259][260][261][262][263][264][265][266][267][268][269][270][271][272] 2012 toring of marine species in marine ecosystems can be expensive and logistically prohibitive (Redfern et al. 2006). Increased human use of the marine environment has meant that human activities are posing a greater threat to the persistence of marine mammal populations (Evans 2008). Identifying critical habitat is therefore particularly important in areas where human activities are likely to have the greatest impact so that any deleterious human impacts can be mitigated. Predictive modelling of species' distributions and their habitat is one ap proach that is becoming increasingly popular and proving to be a costeffective approach when applied to marine mammal populations that are difficult to monitor (Redfern et al. 2006).Compared with critical habitat for terrestrial species, the identification and designation of critical habitat in the marine environment can be more complex and the boundaries may be less fixed (Evans 2008). The difficulty in identifying critical habitat largely depends on whether the habitat requirements are dependent on stable, geographical environmental parameters such as depth or top...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of humpback whale breeding and calving habitat in the Great Barrier Reef

Smith

Grantham²,

Gales³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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show abstract

“…Others remain at reduced abundance levels where even small increases in anthropogeniccaused mortality threatens population persistence (Kraus et al 2005, LeDuc et al 2012. In response to the conservation concern over ship strikes, a number of national and international management entities have programs intended to reduce the likelihood of collisions, focusing mostly on shifting shipping lanes to minimize spatio-temporal overlap between ships and whales (Ward-Geiger et al 2005, Vanderlaan et al 2008, Irvine et al 2014. While these methods are effective in reducing the relative and absolute risk of collisions (van der Hoop et al 2012), they may not always be feasible, such as when the geography of an area is too narrow to provide alternatives to shipping lanes (e.g.…”

Section: Open Pen Access Ccessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting whale detection from large ships in Alaska with implications for whale avoidance

Williams¹,

Gende²,

Lukacs³

et al. 2016

Endang. Species. Res.

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“…In 1999, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the US Coast Guard (USCG) established a reporting system that alerts mariners to the location of right whales throughout the East Coast of the US. When vessels greater than 300 gross tons enter these areas they must report to the USCG to receive current sighting information about right whales (Ward-Geiger et al 2005). To extend the warning system to smaller vessels, the USCG developed another system, called the Auto- mated Identification System.…”

Section: Real-time Acoustic Monitoring Of North Atlantic Right Whalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management and research applications of real-time and archival passive acoustic sensors over varying temporal and spatial scales

Parijs¹,

Clark²,

Sousa‐Lima

et al. 2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

290

239

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Characterization of Ship Traffic in Right Whale Critical Habitat

Cited by 53 publications

References 13 publications

Identification of humpback whale breeding and calving habitat in the Great Barrier Reef

Identification of humpback whale breeding and calving habitat in the Great Barrier Reef

Factors affecting whale detection from large ships in Alaska with implications for whale avoidance

Management and research applications of real-time and archival passive acoustic sensors over varying temporal and spatial scales

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