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Home , Antarctic minke whale, Berardius, Hourglass dolphin, Minke whale, Phocoena, Porpoise

Southern Threats and climate change

entanglement in fishing gear

pollution

habitat degradation Southern bottlenose reduced prey resources Hyperoodon planifrons 7 - 8 m collisions with vessels

disturbance Megaptera novaeangliae 11.5 - 15 m

A human diver at about the same scale as the bonaerensis 7 - 10 m illustrations

Long-finned Globicephala melas 3.8 - 6 m Balaenoptera musculus 24 - 27 m

Sperm whale Arnoux’s Spectacled macrocephalus 11 - 18 m Hourglass arnuxii 7.8 - 9.7 m dioptrica 1.3 - 2.2 m cruciger 1.6 - 1.8 m

Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus 18 - 22 m Balaenoptera borealis 12 - 16 m

ASOC Ant SG_arnoux.indd 1 7/10/08 10:24:00 SOUTHERN OCEAN whales and dolphins

Antarctica is unique The Southern Ocean around the Antarctic continent includes Earth’s largest marine feeding ground. It is the foremost example of habitat that is critical to the survival of many , each dependent on the health of a complex Type B Type C Type A up to 7.2 m up to 6.1 m food web, based in part on . Many species, particularly up to 9.8 m the large baleen whales that depend on krill, migrate to the region each . Others, including dolphins, killer whales Orca Orcinus orca (orcas), beaked whales, sperm whales and some minke (Males illustrated. Inset box whales, rely on the region year-round. shows female dorsal fin) The three types of For decades many species of large whales and seals Antarctic orca

were hunted, some to the brink of extinction. In 1982 o exhibit some striking differences 0 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) prohibited in their morphology (including indefinitely the commercial killing of all large whales, as well eye patch and dorsal cape as the minke whale and orca. In 1994 the IWC established and their biology. Type A feed predominantly on minke whales, the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to ensure the long- Type B on seals, and Type C on fish. term recovery of whale populations 90o South Pole 270o from the effects of 20th Century whaling. Protected Places Ross Inset map Despite Antarctica’s remoteness and harsh weather Ice Shelf Ross conditions, there is growing commercial interest in its living Full protection for the Ross Roosevelt King Edward VI Island resources. Krill and fish fisheries are expected to explode Sea is a cornerstone of the Peninsula 180o in coming , as krill is increasingly used for Global Campaign for Marine aquaculture food and nutraceutical industries, and fish are Protected Areas initiated I Ross further depleted in other . Biological prospecting by WDCS, the Whale and Island for Antarctic organisms, whose parts can be used for Dolphin Conservation Beaufort commercial products, is also rapidly expanding. Island Society. WDCS is calling Franklin The identification and subsequent designation of marine for a network of 12 highly Proposed Island Terra protected areas (MPAs) in the region, including critical protected areas for whales MPA Nova Bay habitat, will help to manage resources and protect whales, and dolphins worldwide by k dolphins and other . We need to ensure that 2012. The aim is to address Coulman Antarctica and the Southern Ocean (south of 60˚ S.) – Island the lack of critical habitat Ross Sea Iselin Ban designated as ‘a natural reserve, devoted to peace and Cape Hallett protection for whales Edisto Inlet science’ in the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Possession and dolphins as well as Islands Treaty – is protected for generations to come. to help fulfil international Seal Convention Area Antarctic Specially Protected Area ASOC’s goal is to obtain international agreement on the MPA targets. For more (with marine element) Ross Sea as one of the world’s largest MPAs. The Ross Sea information, go to: Antarctic Specially Protected Area in process of designation

is one of the least disturbed ecosystems on Earth and is o www.whales.org 180 important as a feeding area for whales, seals, penguins, seabirds, fish and other marine species. As climate warms, it may be Earth’s last refuge of and its associated Produced by WDCS in association with ASOC. biota. Measures of primary productivity, plankton stocks and www.asoc.org www.wdcs.org Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (“WDCS”) Registered in England and No. 2737421 top predators indicate the Ross Sea to be the richest stretch ASOC Secretariat WDCS, Brookfield House, 1630 Ave. NW, 3rd Floor 38 St. Paul Street, Chippenham, , DC 20009 Wiltshire, SN15 1LJ, UK. of water of its size in the Southern Ocean. Please join us in USA Registered Charity No. 1014705 Tel: +1-202-234-2480 Tel: + 44 (0)1249 449500 supporting the designation of the Ross Sea as an MPA. Fax: +1-202-387-4823 Fax: +44 (0)1249 449501 www.asoc.org Whale and dolphin illustrations © Martin Camm / wildlifeartcompany.com Map by Lesley Frampton with assistance by David Ainley and Erich Hoyt

ASOC Ant SG_arnoux.indd 2 7/10/08 10:24:05