Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Marine Pollution Bulletin. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, 186, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114439
Accepted author manuscript, 1.09 MB, PDF document
Available under license: CC BY-NC-ND: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing variability in marine traffic exposure between baleen whale species off the Galician Coast, Spain
AU - Bland, Rhian
AU - Methion, Severine
AU - Sharp, Stuart P.
AU - Diaz Lopez, Bruno
N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Marine Pollution Bulletin. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, 186, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114439
PY - 2023/1/31
Y1 - 2023/1/31
N2 - Increases in marine traffic represent a growing issue for marine wildlife, posing threats through the impacts of ship strikes and noise pollution. Baleen whales are especially vulnerable to these impacts, yet regional and species-specific information on exposure to such threats is lacking. This study uses AIS and observational data to provide the first assessment of baleen whale exposure to vessel traffic on the NW coast of Spain. Overlap with vessel traffic was detected for all areas where whales were sighted, indicating that these species may be at risk of vessel exposure and its associated impacts. Level of exposure to vessel traffic experienced by whales was species-specific, with risk of exposure appearing highest for minke whales. Vessel exposure also displayed intra- and inter-annual variability and a significant influence of feeding behaviour highlighting the need for dynamic management tools to minimise interactions between baleen whales and marine traffic off the Galician Coast.
AB - Increases in marine traffic represent a growing issue for marine wildlife, posing threats through the impacts of ship strikes and noise pollution. Baleen whales are especially vulnerable to these impacts, yet regional and species-specific information on exposure to such threats is lacking. This study uses AIS and observational data to provide the first assessment of baleen whale exposure to vessel traffic on the NW coast of Spain. Overlap with vessel traffic was detected for all areas where whales were sighted, indicating that these species may be at risk of vessel exposure and its associated impacts. Level of exposure to vessel traffic experienced by whales was species-specific, with risk of exposure appearing highest for minke whales. Vessel exposure also displayed intra- and inter-annual variability and a significant influence of feeding behaviour highlighting the need for dynamic management tools to minimise interactions between baleen whales and marine traffic off the Galician Coast.
KW - Minke whale
KW - Blue whale
KW - Fin whale
KW - Vessel exposure
KW - Iberian Peninsula
KW - Automatic identification systems
U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114439
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114439
M3 - Journal article
VL - 186
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
SN - 0025-326X
M1 - 114439
ER -