Skin-thin sensors less stressful to marine wildlife

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Elmeshad
Keyword(s):  
Marine Wildlife

Pregnancy Cravings: Visitation at a Food-Provisioning Site is Driven by the Reproductive Status of Bottlenose Dolphins

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-248
Author(s):  
Valeria Senigaglia ◽  
Lars Bejder
Keyword(s):  
Prey Availability ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Reproductive Status ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Increase Risk ◽  
Lactating Females ◽  
Tourism Attractions ◽  
Marine Wildlife

Marine wildlife tourism attractions often use food rewards to ensure close-up encounters with freeranging animals. In Bunbury, Western Australia, the Dolphin Discovery Centre (DDC) conducts a foodprovision program where bottlenose dolphins (N = 22; between 2000 and 2018) are offered food rewards to encourage their visitation at a beach in front of the DDC. We used historical records on individual beach visits by adult female dolphins collected by the DDC from 2000 to 2018 to develop generalized mixed effects models (GLMM) to test whether the frequency of beach visitation was influenced by their reproductive status (pregnant, lactating, nonreproductive) or climatic events (El Niño-Southern Oscillation phases) that could affect prey availability. We also quantified the behavioral budget of dolphins during food-provisioning sessions and documented intra- and interspecific aggressive behaviors using individual focal follows collected in 2017–2018. Provisioned females spend most of the time resting within the interaction area (66.3%) and aggressive interactions arise as a consequence of dominance behavior over food access. Visitation rates were most influenced by reproductive status with pregnant and lactating females visiting the provisioning area more frequently (z = 2.085, p = 0.037 and z = 2.437, p = 0.014, respectively). Females that frequently visit the provisioning area expose their dependent calves to regular human interactions at an early age when they are more susceptible to behavioral conditioning. Such experiences could cause the loss of awareness towards humans and promote maladaptive behaviors such as begging that increase risk of entanglement in fishing gear, boat strikes, and propeller injuries.

Marine Wildlife Bycatch Under the CMS: Progress and Prospects

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-240
Keyword(s):  
Marine Species ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Considerable Potential ◽  
Marine Turtles ◽  
Incidental Capture ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Marine Wildlife

AbstractThis article explains the provisions of the Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and its subsidiary marine wildlife instruments as they relate to bycatch management. The CMS was primarily developed with the purpose of protecting and conserving migratory species and their habitats. The Convention was initially regarded as little more than a paper accord. Since its inception the CMS has undergone gradual significant changes not only in its scope but also in its geographical coverage. There are ten subsidiary instruments currently in force under the CMS which include regional accords on a wide range of marine species such as cetaceans, marine turtles and pinnipeds. These agreements have considerable potential for regulating the incidental capture of marine wildlife in fisheries. Issues of interest in regard to these agreements include the use of non-binding instruments, and mechanisms for coordination between accords. This article examines the CMS and its subsidiary instruments; it identifies challenges facing the Convention, and provides options for the development of more comprehensive approaches to the management of bycatch.

scholarly journals Bidimensional Ray Tracing Model for the Underwater Noise Propagation Prediction

Fluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Emmanuele D’Andrea ◽  
Maurizio Arena ◽  
Massimo Viscardi ◽  
Tommaso Coppola
Keyword(s):  
Ray Tracing ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Transmission Loss ◽  
International Treaties ◽  
Underwater Noise ◽  
Noise Propagation ◽  
Simulation Code ◽  
Emission Limits ◽  
Propagation Prediction ◽  
Marine Wildlife

An increasing attention has recently been paid to the effect of the underwater noise field generated by ship activities on the marine environment. Although this problem is widely discussed in international treaties and conventions, it has not yet found a consolidated technical-scientific treatment capable of quantifying the level of underwater noise emissions produced by naval systems. As part of a national research collaboration, a novel code has been developed to predict noise propagation according to the Ray Tracing approach. Such optical geometry-based technique allows for calculating the Transmission Loss (TL) trend in its respective contributions: geometrical loss (due to the distance between the source and receiver), dissipation loss (due to the characteristics of the propagation environment), and reflection loss (due to the surfaces that delimit the field). The simulation requires as input parameters the source info as spatial position, frequency, and sound pressure level (SPL) as well as the sea properties like seabed depth, the speed of sound profile, the layers thickness the water column is divided into, the sea salinity, temperature, and pH. The simulation code provides the SPL spatial distribution useful as a fast industrial tool in the future studies addressed to identify the emission limits for the protection of marine wildlife.

Maritime built heritage and marine wildlife: Remote sensing as a tool to identify and prioritise integrated conservation in coastal environments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Baxter ◽  
Martin Coombes ◽  
Heather Viles
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Engineering Structures ◽  
Built Heritage ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Integrated Conservation ◽  
Marine Wildlife

<p>Maritime built heritage is threatened by natural hazards and human activities around the world. Likewise, marine wildlife is increasingly threatened by the effects of climate change and human development. Due to their age and traditional construction, maritime built heritage (e.g. historic harbours) may provide unique habitats for diverse assemblages of marine wildlife. Yet, as aspects of built heritage are often missing in assessments of marine infrastructure, identifying which heritage assets have the potential to provide the greatest ecological benefits remains a challenge. An improved understanding of the ecological importance of maritime built heritage can enhance arguments for its continued protection, maintenance and repair. At the same time, this may present new opportunities to conserve important and largely unidentified hotspots of marine biodiversity.</p><p>Using preliminary results from the Isles of Scilly, UK, this study presents a novel method for quantifying the full extent of marine engineering structures (including heritage assets) at a regional scale, and for identifying priority structures for joint biodiversity and heritage conservation.</p><p>Remote sensing data were considered alongside historic environment data and records of modern coastal defences in a rapid desk-based assessment to create a complete inventory of marine structures along the entire coastline of the Isles of Scilly. In total, 68 structures were recorded (6,180 m in length), with over half registered as heritage assets. LiDAR and aerial photography were used to determine the site characteristics of each structure (e.g. shore position). This allowed for an initial assessment of the potential ecological importance of these structures when considered alongside structural information, including building age and material. By evaluating the ecological potential and heritage value of each structure using a novel scoring system, priorities for conservation and other managed interventions are identified. This includes listed buildings and scheduled monuments that due to their construction features and shore position are most likely to support diverse marine assemblages.</p><p>Combined ecological-heritage evaluations incorporating remote sensing datasets allow for the identification of those structures with the greatest potential for the integrated conservation of built heritage and marine wildlife. Research is now needed to develop this method further, ground-truth its outputs, and test its application in other geographical locations and at varying scales.</p>

scholarly journals Propuesta de corredores ecológicos para la restauración del hábitat de Guanta y Guatusa en Pacoche

2020 ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Scarlet Josefina Cartaya Ríos ◽  
Víctor Manuel Montalvo Párraga ◽  
Carmen Carola Chiriboga Erazo
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Humid Forest ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Ecological Corridor ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Potential Habitats ◽  
Neotropical Fauna ◽  
Wildlife Reserve ◽  
Marine Wildlife

Proposal of ecological corridors for habitat restoration of Guanta and Guatusa in Pacoche Resumen El hábitat de la Guanta (Cuniculus paca) y Guatusa (Dasyprocta punctata) en la Reserva de Vida Silvestre Marino Costera Pacoche, en la provincia de Manabí, ha experimentado presiones antrópicas que colocan en peligro su existencia. Con la finalidad de conservar la fauna neotropical, se propone identificar hábitats óptimos para estas especies, que tienen un rol fundamental en la cadena trófica. La metodología consistió en emplear el programa Maxent como el predictor de hábitats potenciales; el análisis de parámetros geográficos para identificar zonas con la mejor aptitud territorial y el análisis de rutas óptimas combinada con los parámetros propuestos por Bentrup en 2008, para definir la potencial ubicación de los conectores funcionales, apoyados en un Sistema de Información Geográfica. Resultó que las condiciones naturales donde se localizan los sitios óptimos son sectores donde predomina bosque húmedo con cuerpo de aguas cercanos, baja densidad de población y vías de primer orden. Se concluye, que el hábitat óptimo está muy intervenido, pese a estar dentro de un área protegida, por ello se propone como medida de regeneración ambiental, el diseño de conectores verdes y zonas de amortiguamiento. La herramienta Maxent es un predictor confiable ya que su AUC de 0.96. Palabras clave: corredor ecológico; hábitat; intervención; restauración ambiental. Abstract The habitat of Guanta (Cuniculus paca) and Guatusa (Dasyprocta punctata) in the Pacoche Coastal Marine Wildlife Reserve, in the province of Manabí, has experienced anthropic pressures that endanger its existence. With the purpose of conserving the Neotropical fauna, identify optimal habitats for these species, which have a fundamental role in the food chain. The methodology consisted of using the Maxent program as the predictor of potential habitats; the analysis of geographic parameters to identify areas with the best territorial aptitude and the analysis of optimal routes combined with the parameters proposed by Bentrup in 2008 to define the potential location of the functional connectors with the use of Geographic Information Systems. It turned out that the natural conditions where the optimal sites are located are sectors where humid forest predominates with a body of nearby waters, low population density and first-order roads. It is concluded that the optimal habitat of the species is highly intervened, despite being within a protected area; therefore, it is proposed as a measure of environmental regeneration the design of green connectors and buffer zones. The Maxent tool with a reliable predictor since its AUC of 0.96. Keywords: ecological corridor; habitat; intervention; environmental restoration.

scholarly journals Strategies for Managing Marine Disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Kate Glidden ◽  
Laurel C. Field ◽  
Silke Bachhuber ◽  
Shannon M. Hennessey ◽  
Robyn Cates ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Management ◽  
Marine Organism ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Wildlife Disease ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Marine Wildlife

The incidence of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) has increased in wildlife populations in recent years and is expected to continue to increase with global change. Marine diseases in particular are relatively understudied compared to terrestrial disease, but they can disrupt ecosystem resilience, cause economic loss, or threaten human health. While there are many existing tools to combat the direct and indirect consequences of EIDs, these management strategies are often insufficient or ineffective in marine habitats compared to their terrestrial counterparts, often due to fundamental differences in marine and terrestrial systems. Here, we first illustrate how the marine environment and marine organism life history present challenges or opportunities for wildlife disease management. We then assess the application of common disease management strategies to marine versus terrestrial systems to identify those that may be most effective for marine disease outbreak prevention, response, and recovery. Finally, we recommend multiple actions that will enable more successful management of marine wildlife disease emergencies in the future. These include prioritizing marine disease research and understanding its links to climate change, preventatively increasing marine ecosystem health, forming better monitoring and response networks, developing marine veterinary medicine programs, and enacting policy that addresses marine and other wildlife disease. Overall, we encourage a more proactive rather than reactive approach to marine conservation in general and to marine wildlife disease in particular and emphasize that multi-disciplinary collaborations are key to managing marine wildlife health.

scholarly journals Technical Considerations on the Management of Coastal Areas Rehabilitation Projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 343 ◽  
pp. 07008
Author(s):  
Georgiana Grigoras ◽  
Ionuţ Cristian Mihalache ◽  
Eduard Edelhauser
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Area ◽  
Coastal Erosion ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Natural Process ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
The World ◽  
Economic Infrastructure ◽  
Marine Wildlife ◽  
Technical Considerations

Coastal erosion contributes to the loss of particularly valuable land, which can damage coastal ecosystems and cause economic and social damage to the area where they occur. Coastal erosion is a natural process that affects shores around the world. The article present aspects of coastal erosion in Romania as well as some solutions proposed to reduce this phenomenon. Submerged structures are exposed to erosion therefore a close monitoring is necessary. A malfunction will result in the damage of the structure as well as endangering marine wildlife. The proposed solutions are meant to protect the coastal area against erosion, protecting the shore, adjacent land and ecosystems. These solutions will also protect the economic infrastructure and social objectives endangered by marine erosion. A monitoring program will be implemented for a medium and long term, supporting the maintenance operations.

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