Monitoring of Marine Mammal Strandings Along French Coasts Reveals the Importance of Ship Strikes on Large Cetaceans: A Challenge for the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Peltier, Hélène; Beaufils, Alain; Cesarini, Catherine; Dabin, Willy; Dars, Cécile; Demaret, Fabien; Dhermain, Frank; Dorémus, Ghislain; Labach, Hélène; Canneyt, Olivier Van; Spitz, Jérôme

doi:10.3389/fmars.2019.00486

Cited by 30 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The Mediterranean sub-population is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of endangered species and, according to the last assessment, the population is severely fragmented; furthermore the current population trend is decreasing ( Panigada & Notarbartolo Di Sciara, 2012 ). The species in the basin is facing many anthropogenic threats such as marine traffic and ship strikes ( Panigada et al, 2006 ; David, Alleaume & Guinet, 2011 ; Coomber et al, 2016 ; Peltier et al, 2019 ), marine litter ( Fossi et al, 2014 ; Di-Méglio & Campana, 2017 ), chemical pollution ( Marsili & Focardi, 1996 ), and noise ( Sciacca et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in summer presence of fin whales in the Western Mediterranean Sea Region: new insights from a long-term monitoring program

Tepsich

Schettino

Atzori³

et al. 2020

PeerJ

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Background The Mediterranean subpopulation of fin whale Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) has recently been listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The species is also listed as species in need of strict protection under the Habitat Directive and is one of the indicators for the assessment of Good Environmental Status under the MSFD. Reference values on population abundance and trends are needed in order to set the threshold values and to assess the conservation status of the population. Methods Yearly summer monitoring using ferries as platform of opportunity was performed since 2008 within the framework of the FLT Med Network. Data were collected along several fixed transects crossing the Western Mediterranean basin and the Adriatic and Ionian region. Species presence, expressed by density recorded along the sampled transects, was inspected for assessing interannual variability together with group size. Generalized Additive Models were used to describe density trends over a 11 years’ period (2008–2018). A spatial multi-scale approach was used to highlight intra-basin differences in species presence and distribution during the years. Results Summer presence of fin whales in the western Mediterranean area showed a strong interannual variability, characterized by the alternance of rich and poor years. Small and large groups of fin whales were sighted only during rich years, confirming the favorable feeding condition influencing species presence. Trends highlighted by the GAM can be summarized as positive from 2008 to 2013, and slightly negative from 2014 to 2018. The sub-areas analysis showed a similar pattern, but with a more stable trend during the second period in the Pelagos Sanctuary sub-area, and a negative one in the other two sub-areas. Our findings further confirm the need for an integrated approach foreseeing both, large scale surveys and yearly monitoring at different spatial scales to correct and interpret the basin wide abundance estimates, and to correlate spatial and temporal trends with the ecological and anthropogenic drivers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in summer presence of fin whales in the Western Mediterranean Sea Region: new insights from a long-term monitoring program

Tepsich

Schettino

Atzori³

et al. 2020

PeerJ

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“…Hence, conclusively, the Ajad dugong was a sexually mature female, although due to the liquefaction of the ovaries, it could not be confirmed whether the cow had birthed a calf during her lifetime or not. Marine traffic exerts a growing pressure on marine megafauna 18 . This contributes to a net-entanglement as one of the leading causes of death for dugongs 19,20 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scars of hope and forewarn of a bleak future: Post-mortem findings of dugongs (Dugong dugon) belonging to a relict population in the Gulf of Kachchh, India

Pathan

Pande

Johnson

et al. 2021

Preprint

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A relict dugong population resides in the Gulf of Kachchh in Gujarat state of India. Very little is known on this population stemming from a lack of focused studies and inadequate examinations of previous strandings. In this study, crucial ecological information is gathered through a systematic necropsy on stranded dugongs in the gulf. As indicated through dorsal tusk-rake scars on both the carcasses, this study presents the first records of derivative physical evidence to the presence of a socially interacting population. Progressive healing and differences in the width of the scars indicated more than two individuals had participated in a sexual agnostic or courtship event. Conversely, our findings report that both the animals suffered relative effects of asphyxiation after fishing net entanglement. An implication of a prior pathological condition(s) in the form of dermal cysts, swollen mesenteric lymph nodes, and endoparasites are also reported. Stomach content was examined for a qualitative dietary characterization. Other potential threats along with fishing net microfilaments found in the stomach contents of both dugongs are discussed in brief.

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“…Vessel collision represents the main concern for one of the most abundant cetacean species in the Pelagos Sanctuary, the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) (Reeves & Notarbartolo di Sciara, 2006;Panigada et al, 2011;Peltier et al, 2019). Multiple highly utilized shipping routes pass through known fin whale habitats within the Pelagos Sanctuary, where a large number of fin whales (estimated abundance varied between 148 and 1100; Forcada, Notarbartolo di Sciara & Fabbri, 1995;Panigada et al, 2011;Laran et al, 2017;Panigada et al, 2017) are known to aggregate to feed every summer, making the whales vulnerable to vessel collision (Zanardelli, Notarbartolo di Sciara & Jahoda, 1992;Forcada et al, 1996;Gannier, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting summer fin whale distribution in the Pelagos Sanctuary (north‐western Mediterranean Sea) to identify dynamic whale–vessel collision risk areas

Ham

Lahaye

Rosso

et al. 2021

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Mediterranean fin whales aggregating in the Pelagos Sanctuary in summer to feed are exposed to vessel collision risk, particularly from high-speed ferries.2. This study developed models to predict summer fin whale distribution using a generalized additive model (GAM) and MaxEnt, with the aim of providing a tool to identify potential high whale-ferry collision risk areas along ferry routes within the Pelagos Sanctuary during summertime.3. Models were trained using sightings data collected in the summer months of 2009-2018 on board ferries crossing the central area of the Pelagos Sanctuary.Environmental predictors were bathymetry and mean sea surface chlorophyll concentration of the annual spring bloom period.

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Monitoring of Marine Mammal Strandings Along French Coasts Reveals the Importance of Ship Strikes on Large Cetaceans: A Challenge for the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Cited by 30 publications

References 16 publications

Trends in summer presence of fin whales in the Western Mediterranean Sea Region: new insights from a long-term monitoring program

Trends in summer presence of fin whales in the Western Mediterranean Sea Region: new insights from a long-term monitoring program

Scars of hope and forewarn of a bleak future: Post-mortem findings of dugongs (Dugong dugon) belonging to a relict population in the Gulf of Kachchh, India

Predicting summer fin whale distribution in the Pelagos Sanctuary (north‐western Mediterranean Sea) to identify dynamic whale–vessel collision risk areas

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