Vessel traffic in the Canadian Arctic: Management solutions for minimizing impacts on whales in a changing northern region

McWhinnie, Lauren; Halliday, William D.; Insley, Stephen J.; Hilliard, R. Casey; Canessa, Rosaline

doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2018.03.042

Cited by 29 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…For example, gauging the effect of increased shipping on bowhead whales over the next 20 years is difficult; there are limited data on how ship strikes may affect this species, although empirical evidence from other species may inform the response 50,51 . Likewise, bowhead whale responses to increases in noise levels are even more difficult to estimate [52][53][54][55][56][57] . The impacts of noise pollution are widely recognized and show a variety of effects, from masking communication signals to potentially lethal consequences; this variability is difficult to capture in a single parameter [56][57][58][59][60][61] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergistic interactions among growing stressors increase risk to an Arctic ecosystem

et al. 2020

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Oceans provide critical ecosystem services, but are subject to a growing number of external pressures, including overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. Current models typically treat stressors on species and ecosystems independently, though in reality, stressors often interact in ways that are not well understood. Here, we use a network interaction model (OSIRIS) to explicitly study stressor interactions in the Chukchi Sea (Arctic Ocean) due to its extensive climate-driven loss of sea ice and accelerated growth of other stressors, including shipping and oil exploration. The model includes numerous trophic levels ranging from phytoplankton to polar bears. We find that climate-related stressors have a larger impact on animal populations than do acute stressors like increased shipping and subsistence harvesting. In particular, organisms with a strong temperature-growth rate relationship show the greatest changes in biomass as interaction strength increased, but also exhibit the greatest variability. Neglecting interactions between stressors vastly underestimates the risk of population crashes. Our results indicate that models must account for stressor interactions to enable responsible management and decision-making.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergistic interactions among growing stressors increase risk to an Arctic ecosystem

et al. 2020

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“…Furthermore, vessel slowdowns will lead to increased transit times, potentially pushing up the lower percentile received levels due to vessel noise being present for longer (as seen from the Ports of Vancouver slowdown trial(POV, 2017)) as well as increased fuel consumption due to travelling at sub-optimal speeds (Constantine et al, 2015;Silber & Bettridge, 2012). Therefore, the application of speed restrictions through sensitive marine mammal habitat should be carefully considered along with other vessel management strategies (McWhinnie, Halliday, Insley, Hilliard, & Canessa, 2018).…”

Section: Influence Of Ambient Sound Levels On Lsrsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing vessel slowdown for reducing auditory masking for marine mammals and fish of the western Canadian Arctic

Pine

Hannay²,

Insley

et al. 2018

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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Vessel slowdown may be an alternative mitigation option in regions where rerouting shipping corridors to avoid important marine mammal habitat is not possible. We investigated the potential relief in masking from a 10 knot speed reduction of container and cruise ships. Based on ambient sound measurements and real shipping noise data, the percentage reduction in the available listening space for marine mammals and fish as a container or cruise ship passes under varying speeds and ambient sound conditions was estimated. The mitigation effect from slower vessels, in terms of masking, was not equal between ambient sound conditions, species or vessel-type. At short distances from vessels, the available listening space, relative to ambient noise conditions, was reduced most for bearded and ringed seals, followed by bowhead whales, beluga whales and then Arctic cod. Vessel slowdown through sensitive habitat could be an effective mitigation strategy for reducing the extent of auditory masking.

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“…Behavioral disturbance may lead to diversion of energy from fitness-enhancing behaviors such as parental care or foraging [ 14 ] and can contribute to a population’s vulnerability to recovery or extinction, particularly for small populations [ 16 ]. As well as the more direct impacts of incidental catches, vessel strikes and mortality [ 24 – 29 ], vessels cause disturbance through three of the disturbance categories listed by Tuomainen and Candolin [ 13 ]: the auditory environment [ 30 , 31 ]; the visual environment [ 32 , 33 ]; and changes to habitat size, structure and connectivity [ 34 ]. The auditory environment is used by most marine mammal species for communication, foraging and navigation [ 33 , 35 , 36 ], and the frequencies used by these animals can often coincide with those used by vessel engines [ 37 , 38 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment on the effectiveness of vessel-approach regulations to protect cetaceans in Australia: A review on behavioral impacts with case study on the threatened Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis)

Puszka

Shimeta

Robb³

2021

PLoS ONE

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Vessels cause considerable disturbance to cetaceans world-wide, with potential long-term impacts to population viability. Here we present a comprehensive review of vessel impacts to cetacean behavior in Australian waters (2003–2015), finding inadequate protections to be in place. The majority of these studies found trends of decreased animal travel and resting behavioral states as well as low compliance to regulations, and they recommended further regulatory action such as greater enforcement or monitoring, or passive management strategies. As a case study, we conducted the first field assessment of vessel compliance with the Wildlife (Marine Mammal) Regulations 2009 in Gippsland Lakes, Australia, and provide the first assessment of the endangered Gippsland Lakes Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) population’s behavioral ecology. Dolphin behavior and vessel regulation compliance data were collected during boat-based surveys of Gippsland Lakes from July 2017 to January 2018, with a total of 22 dolphin group sightings resulting in 477 five-minute point samples. 77% of dolphin sightings involved vessel interactions (within 400 m), and 56 regulation breaches were observed. These breaches were most severe in summer (mean = 4.54 breaches/hour). Vessels were found to alter dolphin behavior before, during, and after interactions and regulation breaches, including increased mating (mate guarding) and milling behavioral states, and increased ‘fish catch’, ‘high leap’ and ‘tail slap’ behavioral events. These behavioral changes may indicate masking of the dolphins' acoustic communication, disturbance of prey, increased dolphin transition behaviors, and/or induced stress and changes to group structure (including increased mate guarding). While our results provide evidence of short-term altered behavior, the potential for long-term effects on population dynamics for this threatened species is high. In the context of reported inadequate cetacean protection Australia-wide, our management recommendations include greater monitoring and enforcement, and the utilisation of adaptive management.

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Vessel traffic in the Canadian Arctic: Management solutions for minimizing impacts on whales in a changing northern region

Cited by 29 publications

References 54 publications

Synergistic interactions among growing stressors increase risk to an Arctic ecosystem

Synergistic interactions among growing stressors increase risk to an Arctic ecosystem

Assessing vessel slowdown for reducing auditory masking for marine mammals and fish of the western Canadian Arctic

Assessment on the effectiveness of vessel-approach regulations to protect cetaceans in Australia: A review on behavioral impacts with case study on the threatened Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis)

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