Annex 10 PDF Page Vanderlaan, ASM, Taggart, CT, Serdynska, AR
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Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Annex 10 PDF Page Vanderlaan, A.S.M., Taggart, C.T., Serdynska, A.R., Kenney, R.D., and Brown, M.W. 2008. 2 Reducing the risk of lethal encounters: vessels and right whales in the Bay of Fundy and on the Scotian Shelf. Endang. Spec. Res. 4:283–297. Veirs, S., Veirs, V., and Wood, J.D. 2016. Ship noise extends to frequencies used for 17 echolocation by endangered killer whales. PeerJ, 4, p.e1657. Yang, Z., Hollebone, B.P., Zhang, G., Brown, C.E., Yang, C., Lambert, P., Wang, Z., 53 Landriault, M., and Shah, K. 2017. Fate of Photodegraded Diluted Bitumen in Seawater, Proceedings of the 2017 International Oil Spill Conference, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., pp. 2286-2305. Yang, Z., Zhang, G., Hollebone, B.P., Brown, C.E., Yang, C., Lambert, P., Landriault, M., 73 and Shah, K. 2017. 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Yeung, C.W., Lee, K., Cobanli, S., King, T., Bugden, J., Whyte, L., and Greer, C. 2015. 148 Characterization of the microbial community structure and the physicochemical properties of produced water and seawater from the Hibernia oil production platform. Environmental Science Pollution Research International, 22, 17697–715. Zhao, L., Torlapati, J., King, T., Robinson, B., Boufadel, M., and Lee, K. 2014. A numerical 168 model to simulate the droplet formation process resulting from the release of diluted bitumen products in marine environment. International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: May 2014, Vol. 2014, 1:449-462. 001 Vol. 4: 283–297, 2008 ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH Printed June 2008 doi: 10.3354/esr00083 Endang Species Res Published online April 16, 2008 OPEN ACCESS Reducing the risk of lethal encounters: vessels and right whales in the Bay of Fundy and on the Scotian Shelf Angelia S. M. Vanderlaan1,*, Christopher T. Taggart1, Anna R. Serdynska1, 2 3, 4 Robert D. Kenney , Moira W. Brown 1Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J1, Canada 2Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882, USA 3New England Aquarium, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, USA 4Canadian Whale Institute, Box 633, Bolton, Ontario L7E 5T4, Canada ABSTRACT: The North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis is endangered, in part, due to vessel- strike mortality. We use vessel traffic and right whale survey data (~3 nautical miles [n miles], ~5.6 km resolution) for the Bay of Fundy and on the Scotian Shelf (northwest Atlantic) to determine the relative risk of lethal vessel encounters by using 2 estimates: (1) the event — the relative proba- bility of a vessel encountering a right whale, and (2) the consequence — the probability of a lethal injury arising from an encounter. For the Bay of Fundy region our estimates demonstrate that the rel- ative risk of lethal collision could be reduced by 62% by means of an amendment to the traffic sepa- ration scheme (TSS) that intersects a Right Whale Conservation Area. In the Roseway Basin region of the Scotian Shelf, the majority of vessels navigate outside of a Right Whale Conservation Area, although the highest relative risk is concentrated within the Conservation Area where fewer vessels navigate at greater speed. Here, our estimates demonstrate that a seasonal recommendatory area to be avoided (ATBA) could be designed to reduce the risk imposed by vessels upon right whales in the region. Our estimates contributed to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) adoption of a TSS amendment in the Bay of Fundy and an ATBA on the Scotian Shelf. Thus, the goal of achieving the greatest reduction in the risk of lethal vessel-encounters with whales, balanced by some minimal disruption to vessel operations while maintaining safe navigation, can be achieved. KEY WORDS: Right whale · Eubalaena glacialis · Mortality · Vessel · Shipping · Strike · Collision · Lethal encounter · Fundy · Roseway Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTION (1999) estimated extinction probabilities centered on the year 2200 based on contemporary population The North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis dynamics. Hypotheses related to species recovery lim- (Rosenbaum et al. 2000), hereafter referred to as right itations include those associated with reproductive rate whale, is considered one of the most endangered large (Knowlton et al. 1994, Kraus et al. 2001), genetic vari- whales (Caswell et al. 1999, Kraus et al. 2005) with ability (Waldick et al. 2002), prey-field dynamics (Ken- uncertain population estimates around 300 (±10%) ney et al. 2001, Baumgartner et al. 2007, Michaud & and 350 ind. in the North Atlantic (IWC 2001, Kraus & Taggart 2007), and deleterious human activity (Kraus Rolland 2007). Recent analyses revealed a marginally 1990, Knowlton & Kraus 2001, Kraus et al. 2005). With increasing growth rate of 1.03 in 1980 that syste- approximately one-half of the deaths reported being matically declined to a marginally decreasing rate of caused by human activities (Moore et al. 2007) and 0.98 by 1995 (Fujiwara & Caswell 2001). Caswell et al. vessel strikes accounting for 53% of the determined *Email: [email protected] © Inter-Research 2008 · www.int-res.com 002 284 Endang Species Res 4: 283–297, 2008 deaths in necroposied whales (Campbell-Malone et al. The 2 most simple and practical methods of decreas- 2008), we focus our study on the probability of lethal ing the likelihood of a vessel strike to a whale are vessel collisions. altering vessel traffic routing in and around known The recovery of the right whale is, in part, contingent whale habitats (to decrease the probability of whale on a reduction in the number of lethal vessel-strikes encounter) or reducing vessel speeds (to decrease the (e.g. Caswell et al. 1999, Fujiwara & Caswell 2001, IWC probability of a lethal injury in the case of an 2001, Kraus et al. 2005). As the right whale appears on a encounter). Only the vessel re-routing option will per capita basis to be more prone to vessel strikes than reduce the concurrence, both spatially and temporally, all other large whales (Vanderlaan & Taggart 2007), of vessels and whales. Only the reduced vessel-speed changes to ocean-going vessel operations must be im- option will decrease the likelihood of a lethal injury plemented to protect the species (Kraus et al. 2005), should an encounter occur (cf. Vanderlaan & Taggart particularly in coastal and shelf regions. The 3 primary 2007). In combining the bases of the above 2 options a means of reducing the likelihood of vessels striking decreased risk (decreased probability of event and right whales include the education of mariners, techno- decreased consequence, i.e. lethality, if the event logical methodologies for detecting whales and warn- occurs) of a lethal collision between a vessel and a ing mariners of whales and warning whales of vessels, whale accrues (Fig. 1). and changing typical vessel operations through altered Right whales are migratory animals and a large pro- traffic routing and vessel speed restrictions (Knowlton portion of the population occupies 2 primary feeding & Brown 2007). habitats in the waters of Atlantic Canada during June Technological methods for alerting mariners to the 1 1 presence of right whales include marine communica- a tion relays of whale sightings by and to vessels transit- 0.9 0.9 ing right whale habitat (Brown et al. 2007). Passive whale 0.8 0.8 encounter a acoustics can be used to monitor and geo-locate right 0.7 0.7 whales (Matthews et al. 2001, Laurinolli et al. 2003, Vanderlaan et al. 2003, Mellinger et al. 2007), and 0.6 0.6 near real-time acoustic monitoring for use in alerting 0.5 0.5 observing mariners to the presence and location of right whales is of 0.4 0.4 vessel−whale becoming a real possibility (Clark et al. 2007). Regard- a 0.3 0.3 less of the method used, for the transmission of whale of locations to mariners to be successful, mariners must 0.2 0.2 be willing and able to safely manoeuvre to avoid Probability 0.1 0.1 potential collisions. 0 0 There is little compelling evidence to show that right 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 Probability whales avoid approaching vessels (Vanderlaan & Tag- Probability of observing a vessel gart 2007, see also Panigada et al. 2006) and whales 30 1 b may be habituated to vessel noise and ignore it 0.9 25 (Nowacek et al. 2004). Technological methodologies 0.8 for alerting whales to the presence of vessels include 0.7 active acoustic devices (scare tactics). Such devices 20 collision have been successful in reducing incidental entangle- 0.6 ments of harbour porpoises (e.g. Kraus et al. 1997, 15 0.5 lethal Trippel et al. 1999, Culik et al. 2001) but we know of no a 0.4 similar results for large baleen whales. When Todd et of 10 0.3 al. (1992) used such devices to alert humpback Vessel speed (knots) Megaptera novaeangliae and minke Balaenoptera 0.2 Risk 5 acutorostrata whales to the presence of fishing gear, 0.1 the animals approached closer to gear with active 0 0 devices than to gear with inactive devices.