How ‘Blue’ Is ‘Green’ Energy?

Wright, Andrew; Araújo‐Wang, Claryana; Wang, John Y.; Ross, Peter S.; Tougaard, Jakob; Winkler, Robin C.; Marquez, Melissa; Robertson, Frances C.; Williams, Kayleigh Fawcett; Reeves, Randall R.

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2019.11.002

Cited by 15 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…The need for robust species distribution estimates is especially pertinent given the widespread and rapidly changing extent of anthropogenic activity on marine predator habitat, alongside efforts to reduce biodiversity loss (McCauley et al, 2015). Against a backdrop of decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure, the drive to reduce reliance on fossil fuels is leading to extensive planning and construction of offshore marine renewable energy installations around the world (Magagna and Uihlein, 2015;Borthwick, 2016;Wright et al, 2020). Installations such as windfarms and tidal turbine arrays often overlap with predator foraging areas or travel routes, raising concerns about collision risk for flying seabirds with wind turbines (Bradbury et al, 2014) or marine mammals and diving seabirds with tidal turbines (Waggitt and Scott, 2014;Onoufriou et al, 2019), as well as fitness consequences of avoidance behaviour (Masden et al, 2010;Russell et al, 2016;Palmer et al, 2021) and auditory damage for aquatic species (Bailey et al, 2010;Hastie et al, 2015;Whyte et al, 2020) associated with construction and operation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sympatric Seals, Satellite Tracking and Protected Areas: Habitat-Based Distribution Estimates for Conservation and Management

et al. 2022

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Marine predator populations are crucial to the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Like many predator taxa, pinnipeds face an increasingly complex array of natural and anthropogenic threats. Understanding the relationship between at-sea processes and trends in abundance at land-based monitoring sites requires robust estimates of at-sea distribution, often on multi-region scales. Such an understanding is critical for effective conservation management, but estimates are often limited in spatial extent by spatial coverage of animal-borne tracking data. Grey (Halichoerus grypus) and harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are sympatric predators in North Atlantic shelf seas. The United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland represents an important population centre for both species, and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are designated for their monitoring and protection. Here we use an extensive high-resolution GPS tracking dataset, unprecedented in both size (114 grey and 239 harbour seals) and spatial coverage, to model habitat preference and generate at-sea distribution estimates for the entire UK and Ireland populations of both species. We found regional differences in environmental drivers of distribution for both species which likely relate to regional variation in diet and population trends. Moreover, we provide SAC-specific estimates of at-sea distribution for use in marine spatial planning, demonstrating that hotspots of at-sea density in UK and Ireland-wide maps cannot always be apportioned to the nearest SAC. We show that for grey seals, colonial capital breeders, there is a mismatch between SACs (where impacts are likely to be detected) and areas where impacts are most likely to occur (at sea). We highlight an urgent need for further research to elucidate the links between at-sea distribution during the foraging season and population trends observed in SACs. More generally, we highlight that the potential for such a disconnect needs to be considered when designating and managing protected sites, particularly for species that aggregate to breed and exhibit partial migration (e.g. grey seals), or spatial variation in migration strategies. We demonstrate the use of strategic tracking efforts to predict distribution across multiple regions, but caution that such efforts should be mindful of the potential for differences in species-environment relationships despite similar accessible habitats.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sympatric Seals, Satellite Tracking and Protected Areas: Habitat-Based Distribution Estimates for Conservation and Management

et al. 2022

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“…In addition to a long list of historical conservation threats, a vast, large-scale offshore windfarm development is currently under way throughout and adjacent to the dolphin's range. The juxtaposition of a major offshore windfarm (with thousands of turbines) by 2025 (Eiger, 2021) on top of current threats has the strong potential to drive the subspecies to extinction (Wright et al, 2020). The designation of a protected area, the Major Wildlife Habitat (MWH;…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New abundance and survival estimates for the critically endangered Taiwanese white dolphin indicate no signs of recovery

Araújo‐Wang

Wang

Draghici

et al. 2022

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Small populations of cetaceans with restricted ranges are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances. The assessment of demographic parameters for these populations can provide meaningful insight into the ways in which they are being impacted by different threats. The Taiwanese white dolphin (TWD), Sousa chinensis taiwanensis, is a subspecies endemic to Taiwan and is classified as Critically Endangered.2. Multistate robust design mark-recapture models were fitted under a Bayesian framework to estimate demographic parameters and trends for the population from 2010 to 2018. Differences in these parameters by age category and the dolphins' use of their habitat were also explored. Abundance estimates varied from a maximum of 72 in 2010 (95% credible interval (CI) [65, 78]) to a minimum of 61 (95% CI [58, 64]) in 2017. In the oldest age category, abundance estimates varied from 10 (95% CI [10, 11]) in 2013 to 13 (95% CI [10, 13]) in 2016.3. Modelling showed that, over time, the abundance of dolphins in the oldest age group remained stable, while the remainder of the population, which includes reproductive individuals, experienced a steady decline. This decline is bound to affect the demographic recovery of TWD. 4. Spatial heterogeneity indicated that some areas (i.e. with consistent high occurrences) likely represent important areas for biological functions of the TWD. This suggests that the recovery of the population may be enhanced with immediate and focused actions (such as the ban of gillnet fisheries) in these areas.However, with a small and declining population, reducing threats throughout their entire range is needed, including the new offshore windfarm development being constructed in and adjacent to the dolphin's range.5. Concerted actions to address known threats, continued monitoring of the population, and education of stakeholders are needed to prevent the extinction of the TWDs.

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“…2019; Wright et al . 2020), injuries and death (Slabbekoorn 2019). Therefore, noise pollution should be given considerable attention in these areas to mitigate its impact on local humpback dolphins.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The increase in noise pollution in SNB may be ascribed to the rapid growth of local dolphin tourism (Wu et al 2020). The major effects of sound on marine mammal include behavioral changes (Wang et al 2015a), sound masking (Wang et al 2014), a recoverable temporary reduction in hearing sensitivity (temporary threshold shift), unrecoverable or partially recoverable loss of the hearing ability (permanent threshold shift) (Southall et al 2019;Wright et al 2020), injuries and death (Slabbekoorn 2019). Therefore, noise pollution should be given considerable attention in these areas to mitigate its impact on local humpback dolphins.…”

Section: Ambient Noisementioning

confidence: 99%

Whistle signal variations among three Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin populations in the South China Sea: a combined effect of the Qiongzhou Strait's geographical barrier function and local ambient noise?

et al. 2021

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Geographic variations in the dolphin whistles could be useful in assessing association and isolation among populations. Whistle of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) among the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), Leizhou Bei (LZB) and Sanniang Bay (SNB) populations were investigated. A total of 2850 whistles with legible fundamental contour were extracted and 15 acoustic parameters were measured. Contrary to SNB, PRE and LZB had the same relative proportion of tonal type compositions with flat and sine representing the most frequent types. The generalized linear model analysis showed significant acoustic difference among populations and tonal types. All frequency parameters in SNB were significantly higher than those in PRE and LZB, where no significant variation was observed in most of the parameters either at the population level or within each tonal type. Canonical discriminant functions analysis showed a smaller difference between PRE and LZB than between PRE and SNB and between LZB and SNB. Compared with previous recordings, recent recordings demonstrated a consistent pattern of becoming higher in whistle frequency parameters in both LZB and SNB populations, suggesting that noise pollution in LZB and SNB increasing with time according to the acoustic niche hypothesis. Dolphin whistle's geographic variations could be shaped by the combined function of the geographical barrier function of the Qiongzhou strait and local ambient noise. Considering the isolated condition and the relatively smaller population size of the humpback dolphin in the SNB, more effective and proactive conservation actions should be taken to prevent the extinction of small populations.

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How ‘Blue’ Is ‘Green’ Energy?

Cited by 15 publications

References 78 publications

Sympatric Seals, Satellite Tracking and Protected Areas: Habitat-Based Distribution Estimates for Conservation and Management

Sympatric Seals, Satellite Tracking and Protected Areas: Habitat-Based Distribution Estimates for Conservation and Management

New abundance and survival estimates for the critically endangered Taiwanese white dolphin indicate no signs of recovery

Whistle signal variations among three Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin populations in the South China Sea: a combined effect of the Qiongzhou Strait's geographical barrier function and local ambient noise?

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