Marine Mammals of the Southeast Atlantic

Andrew J. Read Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Marine Lab Beaufort, NC

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 Atlantic Pending Surveys

Pennsylvania New Jersey What do we know about the

Maryland West Virginia Delaware District of Columbia SB marine mammals in this area? WI Virginia CT BR JO CS HM WV

North Carolina MT WT LI RM Species occurrence BF RS HR EV South Carolina GT CF MM LN ZZ Georgia JI RH WN TB SV BW HO HA TL ZX Distribution JV SN BK ZY DB AD MS Florida OL PY BP Legend Population Structure FO WA E14-009_2D_SpectrumGeo BH E14-008_AeroGrav_ARKeX WB BN E14-007_3D_PGS MA AN E14-006_2D_SpectrumGeo Behavior DT KW TV RL E14-005_2D_CGG E14-004_2D_WesternGeco E14-003_2D_GXTechnology Vulnerability 0 75 150 300 450 600 E14-002_2D_Seabird Miles E14-001_2D_TGS ATL_Protractions ± Planning_Area StatesAtlantic *Survey polygons are derived from public information maps In near-shore waters (less than 50 nm from shore), our knowledge of marine mammals is pretty good.

In the rest of the EEZ our knowledge is incomplete, at best.

Outside the EEZ we are just making things up. The waters of the proposed lease program and seismic survey areas support a diverse assemblage of whales and dolphins

Seven species of baleen whales

North Atlantic Right Whale and Calf

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 The waters of the proposed lease program and seismic survey areas support a diverse assemblage of whales and dolphins

Seven species of baleen whales

Twenty-three species of toothed whales

Common Dolphins

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 The waters of the proposed lease program and seismic survey areas support a diverse assemblage of whales and dolphins (and sea turtles)

Seven species of baleen whales

Twenty-three species of toothed whales

Four species of sea turtles

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 The waters of the proposed lease program and seismic survey areas support a diverse assemblage of whales and dolphins (and sea turtles)

Seven species of baleen whales

Twenty-three species of toothed whales

Four species of sea turtles

Sperm Whale

Ten of these 34 species are listed as Threatened or Endangered under the ESA

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 North Atlantic Right Whales

NOAA Stock Assessment

476 individual whales were known to be alive in 2011

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 Cuvier’s Beaked Whales

These deep-diving whales are particularly susceptible to some anthropogenic sounds

Off Cape Hatteras, they make dives to depths of up to 2,800 m and with durations of up to 98 minutes

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 Cuvier’s Beaked Whales

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 Pelagic Bottlenose Dolphins

“The highest numbers estimated for a particular species are for the bottlenose dolphin, as noted above, and in its case the PEIS estimated potential for Level A takings of up to 11,748 individual bottlenose dolphins a year from air gun surveys and potential for up to 1,151,442 Level B takings.”

William Y. Brown, Chief Environmental Ofﬁcer, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. March 9, 2015.

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 Pelagic Bottlenose Dolphins

NOAA Stock Assessment

We assume a single pelagic stock But some dolphins call The Point ‘home’

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 High Species Diversity at The Point off Cape Hatteras

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 A Few Concluding Thoughts

1. Our knowledge of marine mammals offshore of the continental shelf break in the Mid- and South Atlantic is very poor

2. Some vulnerable species, such as right whales, are already at risk as a result of human activities, including ﬁshing and shipping

3. We should not assume that the pelagic realm is one enormous, continuous habitat

4. Some particularly sensitive areas, such as The Point off Cape Hatteras, deserve a special degree of protection

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 Thank You….

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015 North Atlantic Right Whales

80°W 75°W 70°W

Canada NH NY MA CT N 80°W 76°W ° 0 4 NJ NC

N RI ° 4 3 SC DE VA MD

GA Atlantic N

° NC

Ocean 5 3 N ° SC 0 3

Calving Habitat GA Atlantic FL Ocean Kilometers N

0 125 250 ° 0 3 Migratory Corridor FL

Kilometers 0 200 400 N ° 5 2

LaBrecque et al. (2015). Aquatic Mammals 41: 17-29.

Offshore Drilling Forum New Bern, NC July 31st 2015