Quantifying marine vessel traffic from aerial surveys in the Salish Sea

There are a number of potential impacts associated with vessel traffic on marine ecosystems, including noise and oil pollution, ship-strikes, and fishing and fisheries bycatch. To assess these impacts, many studies employ marine traffic data collected using Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) onboard vessels. However, AIS only captures a fraction of the actual marine traffic because it omits many of the smaller vessels, which are not legally required to carry AIS. Without this information, the assessment of vessel-associated impacts based on AIS is inherently flawed, and underestimated. The NEMES (Noise Exposure to the Marine Environment from Ships) project is particularly interested in this unknown component of marine traffic as non-AIS vessels are likely contributing a considerable amount of noise in the Salish Sea. With the assistance of the National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP), we have been collecting vessel traffic information for both AIS and non-AIS vessels during two years (2016, 2017) in parts of the Salish Sea. The AIS receiver and sensors onboard the NASP aircraft can collect AIS information and video with positional information of target objects such as vessels. The video also allows the characterization of the vessel type (e.g., sailboat, motorboat, fishing vessel) and vessel activity (i.e., fishing, motoring or sailing). Results indicate that non-AIS vessels contribute at least 60% of the overall vessel traffic in surveyed areas between 2016 and 2017. The majority of these non-AIS vessels are recreational vessels, particularly during the summer months and near popular touristic destinations such as the Southern Gulf Islands. Through this work, we are now able to build a more complete picture of the distribution and type of vessels using the Salish Sea, and have a better understanding of their potential impacts to the marine ecosystem

Capturing Information on Vessels and Cetaceans: developing a passive monitoring system for Boundary Pass

As marine traffic intensifies in the Salish Sea, cetaceans, and in particular, Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs), are continually facing increasing amounts of exposure to noise and other disturbances from movements of vessels. While the majority of large vessel activity can be captured and assessed through the use of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), the contribution of smaller non-AIS vessels is difficult to quantify and currently largely under assessed. Increasingly, government and industry are required to take operational and strategic mitigation measures to minimise vessel disturbances on cetaceans without reliable, comprehensive data and analysis to inform those decisions. Therefore this work focuses on filling these gaps by collecting information on both non-AIS vessels and the presence of marine mammal (including SRKW) within Boundary Pass) using three passive forms of data collection: an AIS receiver, hydrophones and a land-based camera. This talk describes an outline of the camera work being undertaken, from the design stages to installation. It will highlight some of the initial findings from the early analysis work along with some of the challenges and limitations of this type of data. Additionally, acoustic data on cetaceans in Boundary Pass will also be presented. Unlike the camera this form of passive monitoring is only able to capture the presence of cetaceans when they are vocalizing. Evidence already exists to suggest that some species reduce their rate of vocalization in the presence of vessels (and their associated noise). Therefore, integration of both acoustic and visual data will enable us to build a more complete picture of cetacean habitat use and the relationship between vessels and cetaceans in Boundary Pass. Furthermore, the information obtained through analysis of this data is also particularly important for informing models that aim to assess the level of vessel disturbance cetaceans are subjected to

From sense of place to visualization of place: examining people-place relationships for insight on developing geovisualizations

Effective resource planning incorporates people-place relationships, allowing these efforts to be inclusive of the different local beliefs, interests, activities and needs. ‘Geovisualizations’ can serve as potentially powerful tools for facilitating ‘place-conscious’ resource planning, as they can be developed with high degrees of realism and accuracy, allowing people to recognize and relate to them as ‘real places’. However, little research has been done on this potential, and the place-based applications of these visual tools are poorly understood. This study takes steps toward addressing this gap by exploring the relationship between sense of place and ‘visualization of place’. Residents of the Capital Regional District of BC, Canada, were surveyed about their relationship with local coastal places, concerns for the coast, and how they mentally visualize these places. Factor analysis identified four sense of place dimensions - nature protection values, community and economic well-being values, place identity and place dependence, and four coastal concerns dimensions - ecological, private opportunities, public space and boating impacts. Visualization data were coded and treated as dependent variables in a series of logistic regressions that used sense of place and coastal concerns dimensions as predictors. Results indicated that different aspects of sense of place and (to a lesser degree) concerns for places influence the types of elements people include in their mental visualization of place. In addition, sense of place influenced the position and perspective people assume in these visualizations. These findings suggest that key visual elements and perspectives speak to different place relationships, which has implications for developing and using geovisualizations in terms of what elements should be included in tools and (if appropriate) depicted as affected by potential management or development scenarios

From sense of place to visualization of the coast: Examining people’s relationships with coastal places to better understand how to develop geovisualizations for collaborative management and planning

Effective coastal management and governance is integrative and incorporates the wide variety of user needs, values and interests associated with the coast. This requires inclusive approaches to management that are cognizant of how different people understand coastal environments and relate to them as ‘places’, imbued with values and meanings, rather than simply just ‘spaces’. Advancements in GIS and media technologies have created opportunities for developing tools that allow for place-based approaches to coastal management. In particular, ‘geovisualizations’ now can be constructed with degrees of realism and accuracy that allow people to recognize and relate to them as ‘real places’, thus allowing them to act as ‘place-based’ tools. However, despite the connection between geovisualization and sense of place, research in these two areas is very rarely explicitly linked and explored the same studies, leading to lost opportunities in the advancement of knowledge and practices around collaborative management. This presentation addresses this disconnect and illustrates the benefits of integrating the two areas of research by sharing early findings on study that examines how understanding local sense of place can inform the build of a coastal geovisualization for collaborative management. Conducted in the Capital Regional District (CRD) of BC, the study draws from the disciplines of environmental psychology and human geography to examine linkages between how people relate to coastal places and how they conceptualize/perceive said places. Methods involve administering a survey to a random sample of CRD residents (n=277) to obtain psychometric data on how people relate to place and text-based data on how people conceptualize/perceive place. Psychometric data was dimenionalized through factor analysis and text-based data was coded; then, correlations between place relationships and place conceptualizations were elucidated. Findings from the study provide insight on important elements and features for developing a CRD-based coastal geovisualization for collaborative management and planning

Visualizing Our Options for Coastal Places: Exploring Realistic Immersive Geovisualizations as Tools for Inclusive Approaches to Coastal Planning and Management

Effective coastal planning is inclusive and incorporates the variety of user needs, values and interests associated with coastal environments. Realistic, immersive geographic visualizations, i.e., geovisualizations, can serve as potentially powerful tools for facilitating such planning because they can provide diverse groups with vivid understandings of how they would feel about certain management outcomes or impacts if transpired in real places. However, the majority of studies in this area have focused on terrestrial environments, and research on applications of such tools in the coastal and marine contexts is in its infancy. The current study aims to advance such research by examining the potential a land-to-sea geovisualization has to serve as a tool for inclusive coastal planning efforts. The research uses Sidney Spit Park (BC, Canada) as a study site, and a realistic, dynamic geovisualization of the park was developed (using Unity3D) that allows users to interact with and navigate it through the first-person perspective. Management scenarios were developed based on discussions with Parks Canada, and these scenarios included fencing around vegetation areas, positioning of mooring buoys, and management of dog activity within the park. Scenarios were built into the geovisualization in a manner that allows users to toggle different options. Focus groups were then assembled, involving residents of the Capital Regional District (BC, Canada), and participants explored and provided feedback on the scenarios. Findings from the study demonstrate the geovisualization's usefulness for assessing certain qualities of scenarios, such as aesthetics and functionality of fencing options and potential viewshed impacts associated with different mooring boat locations. In addition, the study found that incorporating navigability into the geovisualization proved to be valuable for understanding scenarios that hold implications for the marine environment due to user ability to cross the land-sea interface and experience underwater places. Furthermore, this research demonstrated that building scenarios within a realistic geovisualization required modeling place-based characteristics (including soundscape) as well as spatial properties. This approach can allow users the ability to more comprehensively assess scenarios and consider potential options

Mitigation of Marine Noise through Strategic Planning, Conservation and Management Support: the effective use of knowledge exchange to aid decision making.

Concerns are being raised over the growing evidence documenting impacts of ship-source marine noise on marine species. Anthropogenic noise can affect marine organisms in a range of ways including ‘masking’ of animals own vocalisations used for communication, navigation, foraging and hazard avoidance which can lead to increased stress, disturbance, deafness and mortalities. Increasingly, calls are being made for noise mitigation strategies and management frameworks to be put in place. One of the proposed possible mechanisms by which to translate this concept of noise management has been through the use of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and Marine Protected Area (MPA) initiatives. However, the importance of MPAs and their effectiveness as a management tool for helping to mitigate underwater noise, in conjunction with their integration within a broader MSP approach, has as yet not been investigated, therefore further exploration and analysis is both pertinent and essential. This research considers the study areas employed by three previous MEOPAR projects (NEMES, WHaLE and 3MTSim) however for the purposes of spatial analysis work and coordinating outreach activities the focus of this project is on waters within British Columbia, and in particular the Salish Sea. This work also considers how the outputs from these projects together with end-user knowledge can be used to further inform marine management and conservation objectives. Specifically, by addressing the following questions: 1) How can MPAs and networks of MPAs be used to provide marine mammals protection from marine noise and, in particular, what degree of protection could they permit migratory species? 2) How can MSP, with integrated ‘quiet’ MPAs and ‘quiet’ MPA corridors, strategically and effectively manage ship-based noise within a broader socio-economic and environmental context? What are the most effective means of building awareness, literacy and management support related to ocean noise for planners, regulators, industry and the wider marine community

Modelling ship movements: Applications for noise exposure to the marine ecosystem

Ship-source marine noise is an emerging issue that is increasingly shown to interfere with marine mammals, fish, potentially marine birds and other animals. The exposure to ship-based noise is expected to increase in the Salish Sea as marine vessel activity increases due to planned port expansions and new marine terminal construction on Canada’s Pacific coast. Increasingly, government and industry are required to take operational and strategic mitigation measures without reliable and comprehensive data and analysis to inform those decisions, and in the absence of national guidelines. The goal of this research has been to explore and improve the utility and modelling of ship traffic, based on AIS and other data, as an indicator of noise to enable government, industry and, even individuals, make better decisions to mitigate marine noise impacts. Specifically, the research addresses the following three questions: 1) How can we build a reliable, comprehensive spatio-temporal model of vessel movement? 2) How can we confidently associate noise with marine vessels to understand cumulative noise exposure? 3) How can we integrate vessel traffic models and noise exposure models with decision making and outreach? To accomplish this goal a multidisciplinary team of researchers has been assembled to tackle these research questions for each of the projects three study areas: Sach’s Harbour in the Arctic, SGaan Kinghlas Bowie Seamount on the west coast of Haida Gwaii and the Salish Sea. Here we show the results of vessel traffic modelling for the Salish Sea, the most heavily trafficked of all three areas, and still facing further increases in shipping levels due primarily to advances on the previously planned port expansion in Vancouver