European Best Practice on Cetacean Post-Mortem Investigation and Tissue Sampling

The 2019 iteration of the ASCOBANS and ACCOBAMS joint best practice for cetacean stranding investigations and tissue sampling . Monitoring dead stranded cetaceans offers an often unique opportunity to gain insights into the health of, and threats and stressors affecting, marine ecosystems. Information derived from the systematic examination of stranded carcases can provide insights into the at-sea population not easily acquired through other means, indeed strandings data is the major source of information available for some species. Detailed investigation of carcases can assist in the determination of causes of death, offer surveillance on the incidence of trauma and disease and provide tissues and data for subsequent analysis into a range of biological and ecological parameters. The collection of data and samples for ancillary investigations over a range of disciplines can provide information on the general population ecology, helping countries evaluate and mitigate possible threats affecting species conservation and the marine ecosystem. Many EU countries operate cetacean strandings investigation networks as part of their obligations to international agreements. These include the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS), the Agreement for the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS), the EU Habitats Directive (NATURA2000), the OSPAR Commission and the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM). The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) obliges the member states to develop indicators and descriptors for the surveillance of Good Environmental Status of cetaceans. Many of these strandings networks are well established and have long-term datasets comprising extensive biological and pathological information from the systematic collation and investigation of mortalities. In addition, many European strandings networks curate uniquely important tissue and pathogen archives. Most networks follow the original protocol by Kuiken and Hartmann, published in 1993. In the subsequent decades, stranding networks throughout Europe have developed, and new analytical techniques (e.g. assessment of the effects of barotrauma) or health impacts e.g. grey seal predation, have been incorporated into operational methods. The aim of this document is to update the protocol with the currently available techniques and methodologies agreed between all member countries of ACCOBAMS and ASCOBANS. It is hoped that this updated protocol can serve three overall aims: 1. To provide a reference document for veterinarians and biologists currently engaged in cetacean post-mortem investigation, summarising a recognised approach to stranding investigation across European networks; 2. To highlight areas where harmonisation of data from existing networks could allow for analysis and inference to be made between networks, of particular relevance for the transboundary, mobile species; 3. Provide a start-up guide for researchers attempting to instigate new stranding monitoring programmes, particularly in regions of the world with limited resources for extensive, top-down surveillance programmes. It should be emphasised that this document is not designed to replace existing protocols, particularly those of longstanding and well-established laboratories and stranding networks, but offers a post mortem framework aiming for consistency across Europe when conducting examinations on dead cetaceans

SMRU sperm whale distribution around the Balearic Islands 2003-2008

Original provider: Enrico Pirotta, Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) Dataset credits: Luke Rendell and Enrico Pirotta, Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) Abstract: Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus habitat preferences are still poorly understood in the Mediterranean, despite the population being classified as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN. Techniques to make the best use of multiple data sources are important in improving this situation. This work provides a detailed evaluation of sperm whale distribution and habitat use around the Balearic Islands using a novel analytical framework that combines transect and follow data while accounting for any autocorrelation present. During dedicated research cruises (2003 to 2008), sperm whales were located by listening at regular intervals along a search track and subsequently followed acoustically. Sperm whales were encountered 56 times and followed for periods ranging from a few hours to 3 d. Logistic Generalized Additive Models were used to model the probability of whale presence across the study area as a function of environmental variables, and Generalized Estimating Equations were used to account for autocorrelation. The results suggest that sperm whales do not use the region uniformly and that topography plays a key role in shaping their distribution. Moreover, solitary individuals were found to use the habitat differently from groups. This segregation appeared to be driven by water temperature and might reflect different needs or intraspecific competition. By shedding light on sperm whale habitat preference in such a critical area, this study represents an important step towards the implementation of conservation measures for this population. Purpose: In this study we develop a novel analytical framework that can make use of combined acoustic and tracking data and account for autocorrelation in such data. We use a multi-scale approach to investigate the pattern of sperm whale distribution around the Balearic archipelago, and the potential differences in habitat selection by single individuals versus groups. Supplemental information: Exact numbers for the presence of groups were not available, so an abundance of "2" was used as a conservative estimate. The sequences of consecutive presence points do not represent new animals being encountered, but follows of the same animals

Reducing whale-ship collisions by better estimating damages to ships

International audienceCollisions between ships and whales raise environmental, safety, and economic concerns. The management of whale-ship collisions, however, lacks a holistic approach, unlike the management of other types of wildlife-vehicle collisions, which have been more standardized for several years now. In particular, safety and economic factors are routinely omitted in the assessment of proposed mitigation solutions to ship strikes, possibly leading to under-compliance and a lack of acceptance from the stakeholders. In this study, we estimate the probability of ship damage due to a whale-ship collision. While the probability of damage is low, the costs could be important, suggesting that property damages are significant enough to be taken into consideration when assessing solutions. Lessons learned from other types of wildlife-vehicle collisions suggest that the whale-ship collision should be managed as wildlife-aircraft collisions. For several years, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) manages collisions between aircrafts and wildlife at the international level. We advocate that its United Nations counterpart, namely the International Maritime Organization (IMO), get more involved in the whale-ship collision management. Further research is needed to more precisely quantify the costs incurred to ships from damages caused by whale-ship collisions. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Dolphins in a scaled-down Mediterranean: the Gulf of Corinth's Odontocetes

The Gulf of Corinth is a 2400-km2semi-enclosed inland system (a mediterraneus) in central Greece. Its continental shelf areas, steep bottom relief, and waters up to 500–900 m deep offer suitable habitat to neritic and pelagic species. We used photographic capture–recapture, distribution modelling, and direct observations to investigate the abundance, status, habitat preferences, movements, and group size of four odontocete species regularly observed in the Gulf, based on five years (2011–2015) of survey effort from small boats. Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) are more abundant (1324 individuals, 95%CI 1158–1515) than was determined from previous estimates. Striped dolphins appear to be confined to the Gulf, where they favour deep and oligotrophic waters, and were encountered in single-species and mixed-species groups. Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) (22 individuals, 95%CI 16–31), individuals with intermediate pigmentation (possibly striped/common dolphin hybrids) (55, 95%CI 36–83), and a single Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) were only encountered in mixed-species groups with striped dolphins. Short-beaked common dolphins constitute a discrete conservation unit (subpopulation), and based on the current estimate, would qualify as Critically Endangered according to International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) (39 animals, 95%CI 33–47) occur in single-species groups; they prefer continental shelf waters and areas near fish farms in the northern sector, and several animals appear to move into and out of the Gulf. Additionally, we contribute records of marine fauna and an assessment of the fishing fleet operating in the Gulf. Our study shows that the importance of this vulnerable marine environment has been underestimated, and management action must be taken to mitigate human impact and ensure long-term protection