Cetaceans Jennifer Greene, Sally Yozell, and Melissa Clark Introduction Cetaceans Are the Sub-Group of Marine Mammals That Includes Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises
CHAPTER 10 Cetaceans Jennifer Greene, Sally Yozell, and Melissa Clark Introduction Cetaceans are the sub-group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Because of their extensive migrations, they have very large geographic ranges often encom- passing hundreds of thousands of miles in an individual’s life- time. One consequence of these large geographic ranges is frequent opportunity to interact with humans. These interactions, including exposure to shipping traffic, fishing gear, pollution, underwater noise, and the effects of climate change on them and their food sources, © Henry Lynch/NOAA can pose serious threats to marine mammal populations. Species chosen for inclusion in this assessment represent the diversity of cetaceans in the Northwest Atlantic. Some of the target whales are considered threatened or endangered, and the porpoise and dolphin species selected represent a range of species that inhabit the region. Technical Team Members Kevin Chu, Ph.D., National Marine Fisheries Service (serving in a personal capacity) Melissa Clark, The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Division Lindsey Feldman, Duke University Jennifer Greene, The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Division Leila Hatch, Ph.D., Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Robert Kenney, Ph.D., University of Rhode Island Scott Kraus, Ph. D., New England Aquarium William McLellan, University of North Carolina, Wilmington Jooke Robbins, Ph.D., Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies Kevin Ruddock, The Nature Conservancy, Rhode Island Caroly Shumway, Ph.D., Boston University, Visiting Professor Mark Swingle, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center David Wiley, Ph.D., Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Sally Yozell, The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Division Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment • Phase 1 Report 10-1 Chapter 10 - Cetaceans Selection of Target Species there are limited data to determine the population status Technical team members and external experts identified of most target species at this time.
[Show full text]