19th ASCOBANS Advisory Committee Meeting AC19/Doc.5-07 (P) Galway, Ireland, 20-22 March 2012 Dist. 23 February 2012 Agenda Item 5.1 Implementation of the Triennium Work Plan (2010-2012) – Other Issues Review of New Information on Population Size, Distribution, Structure and Causes of Any Changes Document 5-07 ICES 2011: Report of the Working Group on Marine Mammal Ecology Action Requested Take note Submitted by United Kingdom NOTE: IN THE INTERESTS OF ECONOMY, DELEGATES ARE KINDLY REMINDED TO BRING THEIR OWN COPIES OF DOCUMENTS TO THE MEETING ICES WGMME REPORT 2011 ICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE ICES CM 2011/ACOM:25 Report of the Working Group on Marine Mammal Ecology (WGMME 2011) 21–24 February 2011 Berlin, Germany International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Conseil International pour l’Exploration de la Mer H. C. Andersens Boulevard 44–46 DK-1553 Copenhagen V Denmark Telephone (+45) 33 38 67 00 Telefax (+45) 33 93 42 15 www.ices.dk [email protected] Recommended format for purposes of citation: ICES. 2011. Report of the Working Group on Marine Mammal Ecology (WGMME), 21–24 February, Berlin, Germany. ICES CM 2011/ACOM:25. 204 pp. For permission to reproduce material from this publication, please apply to the Gen- eral Secretary. The document is a report of an Expert Group under the auspices of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and does not necessarily represent the views of the Council. © 2011 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea ICES WGMME REPORT 2011 | i Contents Executive summary ................................................................................................................ 5 1 Opening of the meeting ................................................................................................ 7 2 Adoption of the agenda ................................................................................................ 8 3 ToR a. Review and report on any new information on population sizes population/stock structure and management frameworks for marine mammals ....................................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Trans North Atlantic Sightings Survey (T-NASS) .......................................... 10 3.1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 10 3.1.2 Methodology .......................................................................................... 10 3.1.3 Results ..................................................................................................... 11 3.1.4 References ............................................................................................... 12 3.2 Update on other marine mammal abundance estimates .............................. 13 3.3 Population structure in bottlenose dolphins in the Northeast Atlantic ................................................................................................................. 13 3.3.1 Overview ................................................................................................. 13 3.3.2 Recommendations ................................................................................. 17 3.3.3 References ............................................................................................... 18 3.4 Update on the population structure of harbour porpoises in Danish waters ...................................................................................................... 19 3.4.1 Reference ................................................................................................. 19 4 ToR b. Outline and review the effects of tidal-stream energy devices (construction and operation) on marine mammals and provide recommendations on research needs, monitoring and mitigation schemes .......................................................................................................................... 20 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 20 4.2 Features of tidal-stream energy converters relevant to marine mammals .............................................................................................................. 20 4.3 Summary of the distribution and scale of some of the tidal-stream energy developments in ICES waters .............................................................. 22 4.3.1 UK ............................................................................................................ 22 4.3.2 Channel Islands ...................................................................................... 27 4.3.3 France ...................................................................................................... 27 4.3.4 Spain and Portugal ................................................................................ 28 4.3.5 Netherlands ............................................................................................ 28 4.3.6 Norway .................................................................................................... 29 4.3.7 Russia ....................................................................................................... 29 4.3.8 Canada ..................................................................................................... 29 4.3.9 USA .......................................................................................................... 30 4.4 Potential effects of tidal-stream developments on marine mammals ......... 31 ii | ICES WGMME REPORT 2011 4.4.1 Installation effects .................................................................................. 31 4.4.2 Operation ................................................................................................ 33 4.5 Overview of international and national guidelines on monitoring and mitigation ..................................................................................................... 35 4.6 Monitoring ........................................................................................................... 35 4.7 Case study-SeaGen turbines in Strangford Lough ......................................... 36 4.8 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 37 4.8.1 Management framework ...................................................................... 37 4.8.2 Interactions at close range .................................................................... 38 4.8.3 Noise mapping-communication .......................................................... 38 4.8.4 Noise quantification for device perception ........................................ 38 4.8.5 Survey methods ..................................................................................... 39 4.8.6 Allowable takes ...................................................................................... 39 4.8.7 Wide-scale surveys ................................................................................ 39 4.8.8 Data sharing ............................................................................................ 40 4.8.9 Site choice ................................................................................................ 40 4.8.10 Device diversity ..................................................................................... 40 4.8.11 Arrays ...................................................................................................... 40 4.8.12 Electromagnetic fields ........................................................................... 41 4.9 References ............................................................................................................ 42 5 ToR c. Outline marine planning practices that could take account of the presence of cetaceans, and what information ICES might be able to feed into that process .................................................................................................. 43 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 43 5.2 Marine planning practices that go beyond MPAs .......................................... 44 5.3 Case study of the development of MSP– German EEZ waters .................... 48 5.3.1 Overview ................................................................................................. 48 5.3.2 Objectives made in the spatial plan regarding marine mammals ................................................................................................. 50 5.3.3 Potential conflicts between harbour porpoise and human habitat use ............................................................................................... 52 5.4 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 55 5.5 References ............................................................................................................ 55 6 ToR d. Catalogue the Marine Protected Areas for marine mammals in the ICES area and evaluate the efficacy of MPAs for cetaceans ......................... 58 6.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 58 6.2 Legal framework ................................................................................................. 58 6.2.1 Europe ..................................................................................................... 58