Underwater Visual Records of Marine Megafauna Around Offshore Anthropogenic Structures

Todd, Victoria L. G.; Lazar, Laura; Williamson, Laura D.; Peters, Ingrid T.; Hoover, Aimee L.; Cox, Sophie E.; Todd, Ian B.; Macreadie, Peter I.; McLean, Dianne

doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00230

Cited by 29 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…However, dolphins also avoid being in close proximity to oil/gas installations, which may be explained by the noise pollution generated by these structures and the navigation of ships around them. Similarly, Todd et al (2020) demonstrated the close presence of marine megafauna (cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, large fish -such as sharks, rays, billfish, and tuna, as well as marine reptiles and seabirds; many of which are threatened species) to anthropogenic structures, with most animals displaying foraging behavior or interaction with the structures. In this context, various studies reported the occurrence of marine mammals around oil/gas structures (e.g., Cremer et al, 2009;Todd et al, 2009Todd et al, , 2016Thompson et al, 2010;Delefosse et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Mackintosh (1974), the interactions of marine mammals with these structures show a direct contact, rather than avoidance behavior. The use of marine structures by large marine animals for feeding purpose was evidenced in several papers (Russell et al, 2014;Arnould et al, 2015;Todd et al, 2016Todd et al, , 2020Orr et al, 2017;Delefosse et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, decommissioning marine oil/gas structures may have significant impacts on the various components of marine ecosystems, including marine mammals (Fowler et al, 2014(Fowler et al, , 2018van Elden et al, 2019). This is because some of these structures are likely to play the role of 'protected areas' providing feeding sites for these animals (Todd et al, 2020). Apart from that, the probability that the anthropogenic marine structures may have some negative impacts on marine megafauna is worth investigating in future studies (Todd et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is because some of these structures are likely to play the role of 'protected areas' providing feeding sites for these animals (Todd et al, 2020). Apart from that, the probability that the anthropogenic marine structures may have some negative impacts on marine megafauna is worth investigating in future studies (Todd et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversity, Distribution, and Density of Marine Mammals Along the Saudi Waters of the Arabian Gulf: Update From a Multi-Method Approach

et al. 2021

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Despite the important role of marine mammals in marine ecosystems and the imperative for their conservation, there is still a great lack of information on the diversity, distribution, and density of these animals in the Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf. To fill this gap, an integrative data-collection approach including fishermen’s questionnaires, opportunistic sighting reports, and directed boat-based surveys, was undertaken between 2016 and 2020, leading to the first scientific report of marine mammal diversity, distribution, and density in the region. The results of the different approaches carried out during the study confirmed a high diversity of cetaceans on the west coast of the study area, with bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) and dugongs (Dugong dugon) as the most common species. While the two dolphin species were found to be widely distributed in both coastal and offshore waters, D. dugon appears to occur exclusively in coastal waters in the southern part of the study area, mainly in the Gulf of Salwah. The presence of both species of dolphins increased during the summer months and in the vicinity of the numerous oil and gas facilities in this region. The distribution of the observed dolphins was found mostly within a 10–20 km radius around each facility. Other cetacean species observed less frequently in the area include Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni), killer whale (Orcinus orca), common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides). Regarding the density of marine mammals in the region, boat-based surveys confirmed the results of fishermen’s questionnaires and reports of opportunistic sightings, with bottlenose and humpback dolphins being the most abundant species. These results provide a baseline for policies oriented to the conservation of mammals in the Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversity, Distribution, and Density of Marine Mammals Along the Saudi Waters of the Arabian Gulf: Update From a Multi-Method Approach

et al. 2021

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“…Activities associated with these structures may facilitate the establishment and spread of non-native species (Page et al 2019), the platforms introduce a range of stimuli that can alter species' behaviours (lights, noise; Montevecchi 2006; Todd et al 2020a) and introduce contaminants and nutrients into marine ecosystems (Breuer et al 2008;Adewole et al 2010). On the other hand, platforms, often protected by 500 m shing exclusion zones (de facto marine reserves; Schroeder and Love 2004), provide hard structure for larval recruitment and settlement (Love et al 2006;Nishimoto et al 2019), habitat that promotes biodiversity Todd et al 2020b), increased sh biomass (Streich et al 2017;Love et al 2019) and boost local sh productivity (Claisse et al, 2014;Smith et al 2016;Meyer-Gutbrod et al 2020). The habitat value of offshore platforms appears greatest when they exist in oligotrophic ecosystems where natural hard substrata is limited (Friedlander et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced ROV Survey of Tropical Fish and Benthic Communities Associated With Shallow Oil and Gas Platforms

McLean

Birt

2021

Preprint

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Understanding the ecology of oil and gas infrastructure in our oceans is required to inform decommissioning such that environmental impacts are minimised, and benefits maximised. This study equipped an industrial remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with a stereo-video system and collected seven hours of high-definition imagery of two platform jackets, for assessments of benthic (type, density, complexity) and fish assemblages (richness, abundance, length) present. Harriet Alpha (25 m depth) and Gibson/South Plato (8 m depth) are located ca. 120 km offshore of north-west Australia, adjacent to Varanus Island. Twenty-one ‘classes’ of benthic biota were observed in high density, with little bare structure on either platform. Encrusting sponges (average 19% cover per virtual quadrat), barnacles (17%) and sponges (16%) were common on Gibson/South Plato while encrusting sponges (16%) and macroalgae (18%) were ubiquitous on quadrats on Harriet Alpha. The sun coral Tubastraea faulkneri was common on Harriet Alpha (38% of quadrats), though coverage was low (<6%). A total of 102 fish species from 27 families were observed. This included 33 fishery target species with an estimated relative mass of 116 kg on Gibson/South Plato and 299 kg on Harriet Alpha, with these species typically concentrated near the seafloor-structure interface. Differences in benthic biota communities present on each platform likely reflect spatial variations in oceanographic processes, proximity to natural habitats and the age, configuration, cleaning regime and depth of the structures themselves. This study demonstrates the value of adding stereo-video systems to ROVs to undertake rapid scientific surveys of oil and gas infrastructure.

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Acoustic Activity of Harbour Porpoise Around an Offshore Oil and Gas Platform

Todd,

Warley,

Williamson

et al. 2023

The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life

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Underwater Visual Records of Marine Megafauna Around Offshore Anthropogenic Structures

Cited by 29 publications

References 90 publications

Diversity, Distribution, and Density of Marine Mammals Along the Saudi Waters of the Arabian Gulf: Update From a Multi-Method Approach

Diversity, Distribution, and Density of Marine Mammals Along the Saudi Waters of the Arabian Gulf: Update From a Multi-Method Approach

Enhanced ROV Survey of Tropical Fish and Benthic Communities Associated With Shallow Oil and Gas Platforms

Acoustic Activity of Harbour Porpoise Around an Offshore Oil and Gas Platform

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