Protection And Conservation Of Marine Mammals In Canada: A Case For Legislative Reform

The twentieth century was the century of modem whaling, as new technologies allowed whalers to exploit enormous numbers of whales from all oceans for processing into various products for industry and trade. Seals and sirenians (manatees and dugongs) were also heavily exploited in the 1900s, adversely affecting the populations of certain species. On entering the twenty-first century, numerous governments and organizations, and much of the general public now regard marine mammals, especially cetaceans, as having aesthetic and economic importance as well as intrinsic value outside the realm of exploitation. During the past decade, general awareness of the need to study the natural world at the ecosystem level has heightened, and it is recognized that threats to the survival of marine mammals go beyond that of commercial exploitation. Potential threats include habitat degradation, noise and chemical pollution, accidental strikes by ships, and incidental catch by commercial fisheries. Strategies for resolving these problems include the creation of marine protected areas to protect critical habitat, international cooperation in the development of conservation programs, and an increase in biological research to enhance management. The formulation of strong conservation policies and legislation at the national level is necessary to provide guidance for the implementation of these potential solutions. There is precedence at the international level for the types of protection needed. One example is the global moratorium on commercial whaling initiated in 1982 and implemented in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission (1WC). Despite the moratorium, however, a number of large whale species, including the right, Eubalaena glacialis; bowhead, Balaena mysticetus; blue, Balaenoptera musculus; sperm, Physeter macrocephalus; and humpback, Megaptera novaeangliae, are still considered endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), the U.S. Division of Endangered Species, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). International whale sanctuaries were declared by a large majority of IWC members; for example, in 1979, in the Indian Ocean to 550S latitude; and in 1994 in the waters of the Southern Hemisphere, south of 40°S latitude. The prohibition against commercial whaling activities in these waters illustrates strong international support for the protection of whales. Since the declaration of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) in 1946, other international environmental conventions have been established. Several of these conventions have had implications for marine mammals and have set the stage for global conservation activities, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development Agenda 21 action plan, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention), CITES, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). While some nations have enacted legislation and taken policy stands on the protection and conservation of marine mammals, national legislative protection for marine mammals is far from universal. Canada, a nation normally recognized for its strong environmental and natural heritage initiatives, largely views marine mammals as a resource to be exploited. Canada was a signatory to the ICRW and a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), but in 1982 withdrew its membership stating it no longer had an interest in whaling. However, aboriginal whaling in Canada continues with annual takes of approximately seven hundred beluga, Delphinapterus leucas; and three hundred narwhal, Monodon monoceros, respectively. Since 1991, there has been a renewed interest in bowhead hunting in the western Arctic by native communities after some sixty years of not hunting this species. In 1996, after a twenty year pause, communities in the eastern Arctic also resumed bowhead whaling. The eastern bowhead stock is considered highly endangered-less than five hundred are thought to remain-and the international community has responded strongly to this problem. Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus, and up to ten species of seal can be taken by aboriginal peoples in Canada; harp, Pagophilus groenlandicus; and hooded seals, Cystophora cristata; are all hunted commercially by non-aboriginals. Canada has maintained a firm pro-commercial sealing policy, which has strengthened over the years despite public and international opposition. Currently, there are no comprehensive conservation programs or initiatives for marine mammals, and no deliberate legislative or policy commitments for their protection. Under the Canadian system, marine mammals and other marine animals are included in the definition of fish in the Fisheries Act. The definition of fish first appeared in the Fisheries Act in 1927. Despite numerous amendments of the Fisheries Act, this biologically invalid definition has been retained. Because of the lack of a comprehensive conservation framework, and the biologically inaccurate classification of marine mammals as fish, marine mammal management has suffered. Marine mammals should not be defined as fish, and arguments against this definition can be made on the basis of science, values, and management. The great biological differences between these two taxa, at both the physiological and behavioral levels, lead necessarily to different management requirements. Societal attitudes toward fish and marine mammals are different, and they are valued in different ways for different reasons. For example, fish is a primary food resource that represents a major basis of revenue, and a significant contribution to the economies of many communities. Marine mammals have intrinsic value, non-consumptive tourism value, and cultural/subsistence value for numerous Aboriginal communities, but limited commercial exploitation value. A program designed to manage the exploitation of one will not address the conservation issues of the other. In Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the administrative body for ocean and ocean resource issues, is focused primarily on conserving diverse fish stocks for industry. Thus, absent an economic rationale as the driving force for the conservation of marine mammals, such industry concerns will necessarily take precedence over domestic conservation concerns. International treaties often lack provisions for seals because it is assumed that their conservation is a domestic issue, even though many are highly migratory. Thus, domestic legislation is particularly important for the reason that seals normally reside within coastal waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of a nation. For the above reasons, special legislation for marine mammals is warranted as the basis for enhanced management and protection. The United States, Australia, and New Zealand have enacted legislation for the protection of marine mammals that is separate from the legislation pertaining to fisheries, and each nation has deliberately avoided considering them as fish. For example, the now repealed 1952 Australian Fisheries Act explicitly excluded all cetaceans from the definition of fish, and by 1991, under the Australian Fisheries Management Act, all marine mammals were excluded from the definition. Canada\u27s continued adherence to this definition has been detrimental because it defines the way government, including fisheries and wildlife managers, perceive marine mammals, and influences the way humans use marine mammals in Canada. This article examines the limitations existing within Canada\u27s policy and legislative initiatives for the conservation and protection of marine mammals, as compared with other selected nations. The United States, Australia, and New Zealand are the jurisdictions chosen for comparison, because these nations possess the most advanced marine mammal legislation, regulations, and programs in the world, and because they are similar to Canada in terms of commitment to the environment and conservation. International conventions relating to marine mammals were reviewed, and special emphasis was placed on Canada\u27s obligations under these conventions. The main components integral to effective marine mammal conservation in those jurisdictions were used to mold a revised framework to increase marine mammal protection in Canada, and to further enhance the Canadian legislative and regulatory structure. Recommendations stemming from this framework fit both the current legislative structure and an ecosystem approach to marine conservation under Canada\u27s Oceans Act

The Breeding Distribution and Current Population Status of the Ivory Gull in Canada

Aerial surveys were conducted in the eastern Canadian High Arctic from 1982 to 1985 to determine the distribution and size of breeding populations of the ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea). The known Canadian population is confined to Ellesmere, Devon, Seymour, Baffin and Perley islands. Two major concentrations of ivory gull colonies exist, one among the granitic nunataks of southeastern Ellesmere Island and the other on the sedimentary plateaus of the Brodeur Peninsula of Baffin Island. The size of breeding groups varies greatly from 4 to over 300 adult gulls. Breeding colonies are typified by their inland, remote and desolate locations and virtual absence of other animal species. We suggest that there is a single Canadian population of ivory gulls whose adult cohort contains over 2400 birds. The small number of leg band recoveries and retrapping of banded birds indicates that individuals can live at least 15 years. One-year-old ivory gulls were not seen at the colonies or on adjacent waters, and their location during summer remains unknown.Key words: ivory gull, Pagophila eburnea, arctic breeding populations, nunataks, polynyas On a effectué des relevés aériens dans la partie est de l'Extrême-Arctique canadien de 1982 à 1985 pour établir la distribution et la taille des populations de mouettes blanches (Pagophila eburnea) qui se reproduisent. La population canadienne que l'on connaît habite seulement les îles Ellesmere, Devon, Seymour, Baffin et Perley. Il y a deux endroits importants où se concentrent les colonies de mouettes blanches, l'une parmi les nunataks granitiques du sud-est de l'île Ellesmere, et l'autre sur les plateaux sédimentaires de la presqu'île Brodeur dans l'île Baffin. La taille des groupes qui se reproduisent varie grandement, allant de 4 à plus de 300 oiseaux adultes. Les colonies d'animaux qui se reproduisent sont caractérisées par leur aire de nidification isolée, loin à l'intérieur des terres, et par l'absence virtuelle d'autres espèces animales. Notre opinion est qu'il existe une seule population canadienne de mouettes blanches, dont l'ensemble des adultes compte plus de 2400 oiseaux. Le petit nombre de bagues récupérées et d'oiseaux bagués avoisinantes, et l'endroit où elles se tiennent reste inconnu. Mots clés : mouette blanche, Pagophila eburnea, populations qui se reproduisent dans l'Arctique, nunataks, polynie

Protection And Conservation Of Marine Mammals In Canada: A Case For Legislative Reform

The twentieth century was the century of modem whaling, as new technologies allowed whalers to exploit enormous numbers of whales from all oceans for processing into various products for industry and trade. Seals and sirenians (manatees and dugongs) were also heavily exploited in the 1900s, adversely affecting the populations of certain species. On entering the twenty-first century, numerous governments and organizations, and much of the general public now regard marine mammals, especially cetaceans, as having aesthetic and economic importance as well as intrinsic value outside the realm of exploitation. During the past decade, general awareness of the need to study the natural world at the ecosystem level has heightened, and it is recognized that threats to the survival of marine mammals go beyond that of commercial exploitation. Potential threats include habitat degradation, noise and chemical pollution, accidental strikes by ships, and incidental catch by commercial fisheries. Strategies for resolving these problems include the creation of marine protected areas to protect critical habitat, international cooperation in the development of conservation programs, and an increase in biological research to enhance management. The formulation of strong conservation policies and legislation at the national level is necessary to provide guidance for the implementation of these potential solutions. There is precedence at the international level for the types of protection needed. One example is the global moratorium on commercial whaling initiated in 1982 and implemented in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission (1WC). Despite the moratorium, however, a number of large whale species, including the right, Eubalaena glacialis; bowhead, Balaena mysticetus; blue, Balaenoptera musculus; sperm, Physeter macrocephalus; and humpback, Megaptera novaeangliae, are still considered endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), the U.S. Division of Endangered Species, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). International whale sanctuaries were declared by a large majority of IWC members; for example, in 1979, in the Indian Ocean to 550S latitude; and in 1994 in the waters of the Southern Hemisphere, south of 40°S latitude. The prohibition against commercial whaling activities in these waters illustrates strong international support for the protection of whales. Since the declaration of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) in 1946, other international environmental conventions have been established. Several of these conventions have had implications for marine mammals and have set the stage for global conservation activities, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development Agenda 21 action plan, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention), CITES, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). While some nations have enacted legislation and taken policy stands on the protection and conservation of marine mammals, national legislative protection for marine mammals is far from universal. Canada, a nation normally recognized for its strong environmental and natural heritage initiatives, largely views marine mammals as a resource to be exploited. Canada was a signatory to the ICRW and a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), but in 1982 withdrew its membership stating it no longer had an interest in whaling. However, aboriginal whaling in Canada continues with annual takes of approximately seven hundred beluga, Delphinapterus leucas; and three hundred narwhal, Monodon monoceros, respectively. Since 1991, there has been a renewed interest in bowhead hunting in the western Arctic by native communities after some sixty years of not hunting this species. In 1996, after a twenty year pause, communities in the eastern Arctic also resumed bowhead whaling. The eastern bowhead stock is considered highly endangered-less than five hundred are thought to remain-and the international community has responded strongly to this problem. Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus, and up to ten species of seal can be taken by aboriginal peoples in Canada; harp, Pagophilus groenlandicus; and hooded seals, Cystophora cristata; are all hunted commercially by non-aboriginals. Canada has maintained a firm pro-commercial sealing policy, which has strengthened over the years despite public and international opposition. Currently, there are no comprehensive conservation programs or initiatives for marine mammals, and no deliberate legislative or policy commitments for their protection. Under the Canadian system, marine mammals and other marine animals are included in the definition of fish in the Fisheries Act. The definition of fish first appeared in the Fisheries Act in 1927. Despite numerous amendments of the Fisheries Act, this biologically invalid definition has been retained. Because of the lack of a comprehensive conservation framework, and the biologically inaccurate classification of marine mammals as fish, marine mammal management has suffered. Marine mammals should not be defined as fish, and arguments against this definition can be made on the basis of science, values, and management. The great biological differences between these two taxa, at both the physiological and behavioral levels, lead necessarily to different management requirements. Societal attitudes toward fish and marine mammals are different, and they are valued in different ways for different reasons. For example, fish is a primary food resource that represents a major basis of revenue, and a significant contribution to the economies of many communities. Marine mammals have intrinsic value, non-consumptive tourism value, and cultural/subsistence value for numerous Aboriginal communities, but limited commercial exploitation value. A program designed to manage the exploitation of one will not address the conservation issues of the other. In Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the administrative body for ocean and ocean resource issues, is focused primarily on conserving diverse fish stocks for industry. Thus, absent an economic rationale as the driving force for the conservation of marine mammals, such industry concerns will necessarily take precedence over domestic conservation concerns. International treaties often lack provisions for seals because it is assumed that their conservation is a domestic issue, even though many are highly migratory. Thus, domestic legislation is particularly important for the reason that seals normally reside within coastal waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of a nation. For the above reasons, special legislation for marine mammals is warranted as the basis for enhanced management and protection. The United States, Australia, and New Zealand have enacted legislation for the protection of marine mammals that is separate from the legislation pertaining to fisheries, and each nation has deliberately avoided considering them as fish. For example, the now repealed 1952 Australian Fisheries Act explicitly excluded all cetaceans from the definition of fish, and by 1991, under the Australian Fisheries Management Act, all marine mammals were excluded from the definition. Canada\u27s continued adherence to this definition has been detrimental because it defines the way government, including fisheries and wildlife managers, perceive marine mammals, and influences the way humans use marine mammals in Canada. This article examines the limitations existing within Canada\u27s policy and legislative initiatives for the conservation and protection of marine mammals, as compared with other selected nations. The United States, Australia, and New Zealand are the jurisdictions chosen for comparison, because these nations possess the most advanced marine mammal legislation, regulations, and programs in the world, and because they are similar to Canada in terms of commitment to the environment and conservation. International conventions relating to marine mammals were reviewed, and special emphasis was placed on Canada\u27s obligations under these conventions. The main components integral to effective marine mammal conservation in those jurisdictions were used to mold a revised framework to increase marine mammal protection in Canada, and to further enhance the Canadian legislative and regulatory structure. Recommendations stemming from this framework fit both the current legislative structure and an ecosystem approach to marine conservation under Canada\u27s Oceans Act

Mapping Class Group Actions on Quantum Doubles

We study representations of the mapping class group of the punctured torus on the double of a finite dimensional possibly non-semisimple Hopf algebra that arise in the construction of universal, extended topological field theories. We discuss how for doubles the degeneracy problem of TQFT's is circumvented. We find compact formulae for the ${\cal S}^{\pm 1}$-matrices using the canonical, non degenerate forms of Hopf algebras and the bicrossed structure of doubles rather than monodromy matrices. A rigorous proof of the modular relations and the computation of the projective phases is supplied using Radford's relations between the canonical forms and the moduli of integrals. We analyze the projective $SL(2, Z)$-action on the center of $U_q(sl_2)$ for $q$ an $l=2m+1$-st root of unity. It appears that the $3m+1$-dimensional representation decomposes into an $m+1$-dimensional finite representation and a $2m$-dimensional, irreducible representation. The latter is the tensor product of the two dimensional, standard representation of $SL(2, Z)$ and the finite, $m$-dimensional representation, obtained from the truncated TQFT of the semisimplified representation category of $U_q(sl_2)\,$.Comment: 45 page

New Longevity Record for Ivory Gulls (Pagophila eburnea) and Evidence of Natal Philopatry

Ivory gulls (Pagophila eburnea) have been listed as “endangered” in Canada and “near threatened” interna-tionally. In June 2010, we visited Seymour Island, Nunavut, Canada, where gulls were banded in the 1970s and 1980s. We recaptured and released two breeding gulls banded as chicks in 1983, confirming natal philopatry to this breeding colony. These gulls are more than 28 years old, making the ivory gull one of the longest-living marine bird species known in North America.La mouette blanche (Pagophila eburnea) figure sur la liste des espèces « en voie de disparition » sur la scène canadienne et des espèces « quasi menacées » sur la scène internationale. En juin 2010, nous sommes allés à l’île Seymour, au Nunavut, Canada, où des mouettes avaient été baguées dans le courant des années 1970 et 1980. Nous avons recapturé et relâché deux mouettes reproductrices qui étaient considérées comme des oisillons en 1983, ce qui nous a permis de confirmer la philopatrie natale de cette colonie de nidification. Ces mouettes blanches ont plus de 28 ans, ce qui en fait l’un des oiseaux aquatiques vivant le plus longtemps en Amérique du Nord

The bremsstrahlung equation for the spin motion in LHC

The influence of the bremsstrahlung on the spin motion is expressed by the equation which is the analogue and generalization of the Bargmann-Michel-Telegdi equation. The new constant is involved in this equation. This constant can be immediately determined by the experimental measurement of the spin motion, or it follows from the classical limit of quantum electrodynamics with radiative corrections.Comment: 9 page

Solitary wave solution to the generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation for dispersive permittivity and permeability

We present a solitary wave solution of the generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation for dispersive permittivity and permeability using a scaling transformation and coupled amplitude-phase formulation. We have considered the third-order dispersion effect (TOD) into our model and show that soliton shift may be suppressed in a negative index material by a judicious choice of the TOD and self-steepening parameter.Comment: 6 page

Ferromagnetic Ordering of Energy Levels for Uq(sl2)U_q(\mathfrak{sl}_2) Symmetric Spin Chains

We consider the class of quantum spin chains with arbitrary $U_q(\mathfrak{sl}_2)$-invariant nearest neighbor interactions, sometimes called $\textrm{SU}_q(2)$ for the quantum deformation of $\textrm{SU}(2)$, for $q>0$. We derive sufficient conditions for the Hamiltonian to satisfy the property we call {\em Ferromagnetic Ordering of Energy Levels}. This is the property that the ground state energy restricted to a fixed total spin subspace is a decreasing function of the total spin. Using the Perron-Frobenius theorem, we show sufficient conditions are positivity of all interactions in the dual canonical basis of Lusztig. We characterize the cone of positive interactions, showing that it is a simplicial cone consisting of all non-positive linear combinations of "cascade operators," a special new basis of $U_q(\mathfrak{sl}_2)$ intertwiners we define. We also state applications to interacting particle processes.Comment: 23 page

A polarized beam splitter using an anisotropic medium slab

The propagation of electromagnetic waves in the anisotropic medium with a single-sheeted hyperboloid dispersion relation is investigated. It is found that in such an anisotropic medium E- and H-polarized waves have the same dispersion relation, while E- and H-polarized waves exhibit opposite amphoteric refraction characteristics. E- (or H-) polarized waves are positively refracted whereas H- (or E-) polarized waves are negatively refracted at the interface associated with the anisotropic medium. By suitably using the properties of anomalous refraction in the anisotropic medium it is possible to realize a very simple and very efficient beam splitter to route the light. It is shown that the splitting angle and the splitting distance between E- and H- polarized beam is the function of anisotropic parameters, incident angle and slab thickness.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

Environmental metabarcoding reveals heterogeneous drivers of microbial eukaryote diversity in contrasting estuarine ecosystems

Assessing how natural environmental drivers affect biodiversity underpins our understanding of the relationships between complex biotic and ecological factors in natural ecosystems. Of all ecosystems, anthropogenically important estuaries represent a �melting pot� of environmental stressors, typified by extreme salinity variations and associated biological complexity. Although existing models attempt to predict macroorganismal diversity over estuarine salinity gradients, attempts to model microbial biodiversity are limited for eukaryotes. Although diatoms commonly feature as bioindicator species, additional microbial eukaryotes represent a huge resource for assessing ecosystem health. Of these, meiofaunal communities may represent the optimal compromise between functional diversity that can be assessed using morphology and phenotype�environment interactions as compared with smaller life fractions. Here, using 454 Roche sequencing of the 18S nSSU barcode we investigate which of the local natural drivers are most strongly associated with microbial metazoan and sampled protist diversity across the full salinity gradient of the estuarine ecosystem. In order to investigate potential variation at the ecosystem scale, we compare two geographically proximate estuaries (Thames and Mersey, UK) with contrasting histories of anthropogenic stress. The data show that although community turnover is likely to be predictable, taxa are likely to respond to different environmental drivers and, in particular, hydrodynamics, salinity range and granulometry, according to varied life-history characteristics. At the ecosystem level, communities exhibited patterns of estuary-specific similarity within different salinity range habitats, highlighting the environmental sequencing biomonitoring potential of meiofauna, dispersal effects or both