Download or read book Spatial Ecology of the North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena Glacialis written by Caroline Paddock Good and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite decades of protection, the endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) has failed to recover, primarily due to interactions with fishing gear and ship strikes. Right whales range along the U.S. east coast, foraging year round in the Gulf of Maine while a subset of the population travels to the South Atlantic Bight each year to calve. The habitat requirements of the right whale are poorly understood. I investigated the relationship between the distribution of right whales and physical oceanographic conditions in an effort to create predictive models of essential right whale habitats. Additionally, the distribution of right and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) relative to fixed fishing gear was examined to assess spatio-temporal overlap. Habitat preferences were assessed using aerial survey data of whale locations and a range of topological and satellite derived physical parameters including bathymetry, sediment type, sea surface temperature, thermal gradients and surface roughness. A suite of non-parametric quantitative techniques including Mantel tests, log likelihood functions, Generalized Additive Models, Spearman Rank Correlations and the Williamson's spatial overlap index were used to assess relationships between whales and habitat variables. Our findings indicate that suitable calving habitat along the east coast may extend much farther to the north than is currently recognized. Our model correctly identified several well documented current and historic calving grounds in the eastern Atlantic but failed to fully identify a heavily used calving area off Argentina, which is characterized by lower surface water temperatures than the other calving regions. In the Gulf of Maine, right whale distribution was correlated primarily with sea surface temperature, sediment type and bathymetry. Predictive models offered insights into right whale habitat preferences for foraging but failed to wholly capture the physical factors underlying right whale distribution. I found the relative density of right and humpback whales and fixed fishing gear in the Gulf of Maine to be negatively correlated in most seasons and areas. These findings demonstrate that the regular co-occurrence of high densities of whales and gear is not a prerequisite for entanglement. Prohibiting entangling lines in areas where whales are known to forage could substantively reduce entanglement.
Download or read book Spatial Ecology of the North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena Glacialis written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite decades of protection, the endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) has failed to recover, primarily due to interactions with fishing gear and ship strikes. Right whales range along the U.S. east coast, foraging year round in the Gulf of Maine while a subset of the population travels to the South Atlantic Bight each year to calve. The habitat requirements of the right whale are poorly understood. I investigated the relationship between the distribution of right whales and physical oceanographic conditions in an effort to create predictive models of essential right whale habitats. Additionally, the distribution of right and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) relative to fixed fishing gear was examined to assess spatio-temporal overlap. Habitat preferences were assessed using aerial survey data of whale locations and a range of topological and satellite derived physical parameters including bathymetry, sediment type, sea surface temperature, thermal gradients and surface roughness. A suite of non-parametric quantitative techniques including Mantel tests, log likelihood functions, Generalized Additive Models, Spearman Rank Correlations and the Williamson's spatial overlap index were used to assess relationships between whales and habitat variables. Our findings indicate that suitable calving habitat along the east coast may extend much farther to the north than is currently recognized. Our model correctly identified several well documented current and historic calving grounds in the eastern Atlantic but failed to fully identify a heavily used calving area off Argentina, which is characterized by lower surface water temperatures than the other calving regions. In the Gulf of Maine, right whale distribution was correlated primarily with sea surface temperature, sediment type and bathymetry. Predictive models offered insights into right whale habitat preferences for foraging but failed to wholly capture the physical factors underlying righ.
Download or read book Right Whale Ecology in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean written by Mark F. Baumgartner and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ecology of the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) was examined at three spatial scales during the summer and early fall on their northern feeding grounds. The diving and foraging behavior of right whales was investigated at spatial scales of hundreds to thousands of meters by tagging right whales with time-depth recorders to document their diving behavior. The vertical distributions of temperature, salinity and copepods were measured along the tagged whale's track with a conductivity-temperature-depth instrument (CTD) and an optical plankton counter (OPC). Right whales were observed diving to and presumably feeding on discrete layers of their primary prey. older stages of the calanoid copepod Calanus finmarchicus, aggregated just above the bottom mixed layer. Simultaneous visual and oceanographic surveys conducted in the lower Bay of Fundy and Roseway Basin were used to examine right whale distribution at spatial scales of tens of kilometers. Right whale occurrence was associated with greater depths and thicker bottom mixed layers in these regions. There was additional evidence of an association between right whales and ocean fronts in Roseway Basin. Right whale distribution was also examined on spatial scales of hundreds of kilometers by outfitting whales with satellite-monitored radio tags. Movements of the tagged whales were compared to climatological and remotely-sensed environmental datasets to elucidate habitat preferences. The tagged whales moved extensively throughout the Gulf of Maine and western Scotian Shelf where they frequented shallow basins with cold bottom waters, but avoided deep, comparatively warmer basins. Two of the right whale ecology studies described here depended on the OPC for measures of right whale prey distribution and abundance. A final study was conducted to investigate the response of the OPC to C. finmarchicus copepodite stage 5 (CS). Comparisons between collocated OPC casts and zooplankton net samples indicated that the OPC was adept at detecting C. finmarchicus C5. A calibration equation was developed to predict C. finmarchicus C5 abundance from OPC-derived particle abundance.
Download or read book The Urban Whale written by Scott D. Kraus and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1980 a group of scientists censusing marine mammals in the Bay of Fundy was astonished at the sight of 25 right whales. It was, one scientist later recalled, "like finding a brontosaurus in the backyard." Until that time, scientists believed the North Atlantic right whale was extinct or nearly so. The sightings electrified the research community, spurring a quarter century of exploration, which is documented here. The authors present our current knowledge about the biology and plight of right whales, including their reproduction, feeding, genetics, and endocrinology, as well as fatal run-ins with ships and fishing gear. Employing individual identifications, acoustics, and population models, Scott Kraus, Rosalind Rolland, and their colleagues present a vivid history of this animal, from a once commercially hunted commodity to today's life-threatening challenges of urban waters. Hunted for nearly a millennium, right whales are now being killed by the ocean commerce that supports our modern way of life. This book offers hope for the eventual salvation of this great whale.
Download or read book North Atlantic Ocean Habitats Important to the Conservation of North Atlantic Right Whales Eubalanea Glacialis written by Richard M. Pace and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "We provide a spatial and temporal description of the habitats important to the conservation of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in US waters of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. This analysis is based on the premise that the biological and physical feature of habitat essential to the conservation of right whales in this region (i.e., the primary constituent element [PCE] which a species needs to survive and reproduce) is the presence of dense patches of calanoid copepods (notably Calanus finmarchicus). Despite the general importance of copepods to the marine food web of the region, only limited data are available to map the distribution of dense copepod patches that constitute the PCE for foraging right whales. Hence, we used right whale foraging areas as a proxy for the spatial locations of these patches. Based on systematic sighting surveys for right whales conducted from 1970 through 2005, we identified concentrations of foraging right whales in US Atlantic waters north of 40° N latitude. These data were then used to define Dynamic Area Management (DAM) zones, which indicated that most of the area north of the Great South Channel on Georges Bank was used at least seasonally for foraging. This region included seasonal foraging subareas generally identified as Cape Cod Bay, Great South Channel, Northern Edge of Georges Bank, Western Gulf of Maine, Wilkinson Basin, and Jordan Basin. Wilkinson and Jordan Basins are also considered essential to the conservation of right whales because these two basins are source areas for the dense copepod concentrations upon which right whales prey in US Northwest Atlantic waters"--Publication's home page.
Download or read book Models of North Atlantic Right Whale Habitat written by Daniel Edward Pendleton and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intense whaling nearly abolished the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) population. Present day threats to the species are collisions with vessels, entanglement in fishing gear, and environmental variability. In this body of work we quantify the relationship between right whales and their prey, ricegrain sized crustaceans called copepods, and employ a spatial model to predict the potential distribution of right whales on a weekly basis. Time series datasets of right whale abundance and copepod concentration were analyzed to quantify the relationship between right whales and their prey. We found significant relationships between right whales and copepods in Cape Cod Bay and the Great South Channel. These results tell us that accurate regional-scale models of copepod concentration can be used to infer the time and location of good right whale feeding conditions. The environmental niche of right whales was characterized using modeled prey abundance, sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration and bathymetry. With environmental data for the time and location of each right whale occurrence between 2002 and 2006, we trained and tested a model to predict right whale habitat suitability on a weekly basis. The accuracy of predictions was good, and the feasibility of our approach was verified. Results suggest that right whale habitat preferences are dynamic and that the distribution of prey is an important to the distribution of whales. We built an operational forecasting model of right whale habitat suitability in Cape Cod Bay, and used it to make weekly predictions for the year 2009. Modeled concentration of two right whale prey taxa (C. finmarchicus and Pseudocalanus spp.) sea surface temperature, chlorophyll and bathymetry were used as predictor variables. Predictions were verified with occurrences of right whales in Cape Cod Bay from 2009. Model output was used to assess the utility of moving shipping routes in Cape Cod Bay. The model was then projected, beyond the model-training region, into Massachusetts Bay. Results suggested that altering of shipping lanes in Cape Cod Bay is unlikely to reduce the risk of ship-strikes. A significant positive relationship was found between predicted habitat suitability and the number of acoustic detections of right whales in Massachusetts Bay. We conclude that our modeling approach could be used to: 1) issue weekly forecasts of right whale habitat quality, 2) assess conservation actions, 3) guide survey effort in other regions, and ultimately to reduce human-caused risk to the right whales.
Download or read book MEASURING THE DISTRIBUTION OF NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES EUBALAENA GLACIALIS ACROSS MULTIPLE SCALES FROM THEIR VOCALIZATIONS written by Delphine Durette-Morin and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The objective of this thesis was to assess the distribution of North Atlantic right whales, Eubalaena glacialis (NARW), in Canadian waters using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) technology at daily to seasonal time-scales, and over sub-regional to continentalshelf spatial-scales, to help advance their conservation. Using a network of PAM platforms, I estimated the quasi-synoptic NARW distribution from the Bay of Fundy to the Labrador Sea, revealing that the current geographic distribution of the species may be constrained to temperate-subarctic latitudinal ranges. In a performance study, I identified the strengths and weaknesses of acoustic gliders equipped with a real-time PAM system as a tool to inform dynamic fishery management designed to minimize NARW entanglements in the Gulf of St Lawrence. Overall, my thesis provides critical information needed to implement PAM in decision-making to mitigate human caused risks to NARWs as well as improve Canada's ability to economically and sustainably monitor the species.
Download or read book Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Mysticetes written by Christopher W. Clark and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-07-02 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, an international team of leading marine mammal scientists, with a remarkably diverse set of backgrounds and areas of expertise, lead you through a synthesis of current knowledge on baleen whales. Baleen whales are the largest animals ever to have lived on this planet. They also have the lowest and most intense voices on Earth, most likely evolved to take advantage of ocean acoustic transmission conditions so as to be detectable across ocean basins. Some baleen whales can live to be 150-200 years old. They migrate many thousands of kilometers between feeding and breeding areas. They produce songs and calls that serve as behavioral foundations for establishing, maintaining and expanding their cultural identities. To conclude that we know the behavioral limits of these large brained, long-lived animals would be naïve. As baleen whale scientists, we are still beginning to comprehend the enormous complexities and natural histories of these remarkable animals. Today, the fact that whales sing is known throughout much of the world. This awareness started 50 years ago with the publication and popularization of a collection of humpback song recordings that motivated research into baleen whale behavioral ethology. In this book’s chapters, a reader’s experiences will stretch from learning about baleen whale laryngeal anatomy associated with their different voices to learning about the vast ocean areas over which their voices can be heard and the emerging complexities of their culturally defined societies. These are accompanied by chapters on the fundamental ethological contexts of socializing, migrating, and foraging. Two common themes permeate the book. One theme highlights the phenomenal increase in scientific knowledge achieved through technological advancements. The other theme recognizes the impacts of human-made activities on ocean acoustic environments and the resultant influences on the health and survival of individual whales and their populations. Although the book is intentionally ambitious in its scope, as scientists, we fully recognize that baleen whale science is still in its infancy. Many profound revelations await discovery by cohorts of young, multi-talented explorers, some of whom are stretching their wings in this volume and some of whom are reading these scientific stories for the first time.
Download or read book Investigating the Migration and Foraging Ecology of North Atlantic Right Whales with Stable Isotope Geochemistry of Baleen and Zooplankton written by Nadine Stewart J. Lysiak and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: The foraging grounds of the endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) are protected under management rulings, but several datasets suggest that right whales use habitats far beyond these areas. In 2005, the National Marine Fisheries Service published a Right Whale Recovery Plan citing the "characterization and monitoring of important habitats" as high research priorities. Stable isotopes ratios in animal tissue are intrinsic tags of migration, as they vary regionally in the environment, and are assimilated via trophic transfer. This dissertation describes carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen stable isotope ratios in baleen and zooplankton collected in the Gulf of Maine, and their application in determining the migration patterns and foraging ecology of E. glacialis. The Gulf of Maine stable isotope landscape was examined through analysis of zooplankton samples from seven E. glacialis habitats. Cape Cod Bay, Great South Channel, and the Bay of Fundy represent distinct isotope sources to right whales. All other habitat areas were statistically indistinguishable, and seasonal right whale movements between these areas cannot be resolved with stable isotope geochemistry. Isotope records in E. glacialis baleen, like those of other large whale species, contain annual oscillations that correspond to broad-scale north/south migrations. To examine right whale movement patterns at seasonal time scales, baleen isotope records, the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog sighting records, and habitat-specific zooplankton stable isotope values were compared. Poor correlations were found between observed and expected baleen isotope values, likely because of the confounding contribution of body nutrient pools that were de-coupled from diet (i.e. non-essential amino acids). Comparisons of recently collected E. glacialis baleen data with isotope records from late 19 th -early 20 th century baleen revealed a long-term decrease in carbon and increase in nitrogen isotopes. The observed trends are attributed to increasing anthropogenic inputs of carbon dioxide and nitrogen species, climatic forcing from the North Atlantic and Pacific Decadal Oscillations, and poor overall health in the present- day right whale population. The results of this study revealed that right whales use "historic habitat" areas more frequently than currently assumed, and demonstrates both the spatial/temporal limitations of the stable isotope method and the confounding effect of fluctuating biogeochemical signals in the environment
Download or read book Disappearing Giants written by Scott Kraus and published by Bunker Hill Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2003 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The North Atlantic right whale is the most endangered large whale in the oceans today. This is a story of science and rediscovery, of survival and protection, and of research, without which we cannot hope to protect the right whale's habitat.
Download or read book North Atlantic Right Whales written by David W. Laist and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2017-03-29 with total page 461 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, some of the heartiest humans of medieval days ventured out in search of whales. Through the centuries, people became increasingly dependent on whale oil and other cetacean products. To meet this growing demand, whaling became ever more sophisticated and intense, leading to the collapse of what was once a seemingly inexhaustible supply of large cetaceans. Central to the whale's subsequent struggle for existence has been one species--the North Atlantic right whale. This book is a history of the North Atlantic right whale, from its earliest encounters with humans to its close brush with extinction, to its currently precarious yet hopeful status as a conservation icon.
Download or read book Variation in the Prey Field of North Atlantic Right Whales Eubalaena Glacialis in Roseway Basin written by Kimberley Teresa Ann Davies and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 630 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ABSTRACT CONT'D : Variation in the right whale prey field could not be explained by temperature and phytoplankton-dependent growth in the Scotia - Fundy -Gulf of Maine region. The results of this thesis assisted in establishing the Roseway Basin right whale Critical Habitat in 2008, and the cross-disciplinary nature of the study also provides new insights into the relationships between biology and physics in Scotian Shelf - Gulf of Maine basins.
Download or read book Environmental Impact of Ships written by Stephen de Mora and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-05 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive, global review of the impact ships have on the environment, covering pollutant discharges, non-pollutant impacts and international legislation.
Download or read book North Atlantic Right Whale written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 6 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources published guides to many threatened animals living in the state. This guide gives information about the North Atlantic right whale, including description, status, habitat, conservation challenges & recommendations, and measures of success.
Download or read book The North Atlantic Right Whale written by Scott Kraus and published by . This book was released on 2019-11-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The natural history of the North Atlantic right whale, its evolution, biology, environment, marine life, whaling, history, conservation and protection."--
Download or read book The Northern Right Whale written by United States. National Marine Fisheries Service and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Waltzes with Giants written by Peter C. Stone and published by Skyhorse Publishing Inc.. This book was released on 2012-09-11 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I am just blown away by Peter C. Stone s Waltzes with Giants. He has captured the story all so well, so tragically, so beautifully. Amy Knowlton, North Atlantic right whale research scientist, New England...
