Marine Protected Area Design and the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Cetaceans in a Submarine Canyon

Abstract

The Gully, the largest submarine canyon off the coast of eastern Canada, is currently under consideration as a marine conservation area, primarily because of the increasing interest in oil and gas production on the Scotian Shelf. Cetaceans, as a guild of abundant, large organisms that are relatively sensitive to such threats, provide a reliable means to determine the boundaries for a conservation area in this region. We compared the abundance of cetaceans between the Gully and other parts of the Scotian Shelf and Slope and found that abundance was higher in the Gully. We also assessed cetacean distribution and relative abundance within the Gully relative to search effort for several spatial and temporal parameters: depth, slope, sea surface temperature, and month. Distribution within the Gully was most strongly correlated with depth, but was also significantly correlated with sea surface temperature and month. Five of the 11 cetacean species commonly found in the Gully, and all those for which the Gully formed significant habitat on the Scotian Shelf, were concentrated in the deep (200–2000 m) mouth of the canyon. We suggest that a year‐round marine protected area is necessary for the Gully. A core protection zone should be defined in the Gully based on depth and bounded by the 200‐m isobath. A buffer zone around the core zone should be defined to provide protection from activities with further‐reaching effects, such as noise, dredging, and chemical pollution.

Crowdsourcing Modern and Historical Data Identifies Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Habitat Offshore of South-Western Australia

“…Globally, typical sperm whale foraging habitat is in water over 400 m deep along continental slopes and ridges including areas of high bottom relief Hooker et al, 1999;Pirotta et al, 2011), coastal upwelling of cold, nutrientrich waters , thermal fronts (Griffin, 1999) and areas of high primary productivity . These features lead to concentrations of prey for sperm whales, mainly meso-and bathypelagic squid (Hooker and Gerber, 2004), though fish are important in their diet in some regions (Clarke, 1996;Whitehead, 2003).…”

Pelagic Predators, Prey and Processes (P4): A Multi-species Approach to the Conservation of Offshore Organisms and Habitats in the California Current System

“…MPAs could be designed to protect those areas where these taxa forage or migrate. Identification of hydrographic or bathymetric habitats where multiple species aggregate is particularly important for successful designation (Hooker et al 1999, Hyrenbach et al 2000. Additionally, endemic, locally-breeding species may constitute especially suitable focal taxa for assessing the efficacy of marine zoning efforts, in part because one can measure changes in the biology of these species (e.g., feeding rates and diet composition) following reserve implementation (Table 2).…”

“…Research has shown nearshore reserves to be an effective conservation tool for certain systems, especially for sessile species with restricted ranges and for benthic habitats (NCEAS 2001, Halpern & Warner 2002. Pioneering studies (Hooker et al 1999(Hooker et al , 2002 and concept papers (Duffus & Dearden 1995, Hyrenbach et al 2000 have set the foundation for ecosystem-level pelagic protected areas. However, the conservation of mobile marine vertebrates still largely relies on single-species management including regulations (e.g., quotas), and fishing gear modifications (e.g., bycatch mitigation).…”

Dolphins, whales and porpoises : 2002-2010 conservation action plan for the world's cetaceans

“…Several humpback whales in Newfoundland died after being exposed to powerful underwater blasts associated with construction of an oil industry support facility (Ketten et al 1993;Todd et al 1996). Controversy surrounds the development of oil and gas deposits in many areas, including the Scotian Shelf off eastern Canada (Hooker et al 1999) and the Atlantic Frontier off Ireland and the UK (Harwood and Wilson 2001).…”

“…Large-scale oil and gas development near the core distribution of this population is a major concern. The Gully has been designated a "Pilot Marine Protected Area" under Canada's Oceans Act, with the expectation that this will enhance precautionary measures as development of offshore hydrocarbon resources proceeds (Hooker et al 1999;Gowans et al 2000).…”