Efficacy of a Voluntary Area to Be Avoided to Reduce Risk of Lethal Vessel Strikes to Endangered Whales
Abstract: Ocean‐going vessels pose a threat to large whales worldwide and are responsible for the majority of reported deaths diagnosed among endangered North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Various conservation policies have been implemented to reduce vessel‐strike mortality in this sp...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01329.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1523-1739.2009.01329.x http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01329.x/fullpdf |
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crwiley:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01329.x 2024-09-15T18:05:10+00:00 Efficacy of a Voluntary Area to Be Avoided to Reduce Risk of Lethal Vessel Strikes to Endangered Whales VANDERLAAN, ANGELIA S. M. TAGGART, CHRISTOPHER T. 2009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01329.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1523-1739.2009.01329.x http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01329.x/fullpdf en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Conservation Biology volume 23, issue 6, page 1467-1474 ISSN 0888-8892 1523-1739 journal-article 2009 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01329.x 2024-08-27T04:27:01Z Abstract: Ocean‐going vessels pose a threat to large whales worldwide and are responsible for the majority of reported deaths diagnosed among endangered North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Various conservation policies have been implemented to reduce vessel‐strike mortality in this species. The International Maritime Organization adopted the Roseway Basin Area to be avoided on the Scotian Shelf as a voluntary conservation initiative to reduce the risk of lethal vessel strikes to right whales. We initiated the Vessel Avoidance & Conservation Area Transit Experiment to evaluate the efficacy of this initiative because the effectiveness of the avoidance scheme in reducing risk without the imposition of vessel‐speed restrictions depends entirely on vessel‐operator compliance. Using a network of automatic identification system receivers, we collected static, dynamic, and voyage‐related vessel data in near real time from the Roseway Basin region for 12 months before and 6 months after the implementation of the area to be avoided. Using pre‐ and post‐implementation vessel navigation and speed data, along with right whale sightings per unit effort data, all resolved at 3′N latitude by 3′W longitude, we estimated the post‐implementation change in risk of lethal vessel strikes. Estimates of vessel‐operator voluntary compliance ranged from 57% to 87% and stabilized at 71% within the first 5 months of implementation. Our estimates showed an 82% reduction in the risk of lethal vessel strikes to right whales due to vessel‐operator compliance. We conclude that the high level of compliance achieved with this voluntary conservation initiative occurred because the area to be avoided was adopted by the International Maritime Organization. Our results demonstrate that international shipping interests are able and willing to voluntarily alter course to protect endangered whales. Article in Journal/Newspaper Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic Wiley Online Library Conservation Biology 23 6 1467 1474 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract: Ocean‐going vessels pose a threat to large whales worldwide and are responsible for the majority of reported deaths diagnosed among endangered North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Various conservation policies have been implemented to reduce vessel‐strike mortality in this species. The International Maritime Organization adopted the Roseway Basin Area to be avoided on the Scotian Shelf as a voluntary conservation initiative to reduce the risk of lethal vessel strikes to right whales. We initiated the Vessel Avoidance & Conservation Area Transit Experiment to evaluate the efficacy of this initiative because the effectiveness of the avoidance scheme in reducing risk without the imposition of vessel‐speed restrictions depends entirely on vessel‐operator compliance. Using a network of automatic identification system receivers, we collected static, dynamic, and voyage‐related vessel data in near real time from the Roseway Basin region for 12 months before and 6 months after the implementation of the area to be avoided. Using pre‐ and post‐implementation vessel navigation and speed data, along with right whale sightings per unit effort data, all resolved at 3′N latitude by 3′W longitude, we estimated the post‐implementation change in risk of lethal vessel strikes. Estimates of vessel‐operator voluntary compliance ranged from 57% to 87% and stabilized at 71% within the first 5 months of implementation. Our estimates showed an 82% reduction in the risk of lethal vessel strikes to right whales due to vessel‐operator compliance. We conclude that the high level of compliance achieved with this voluntary conservation initiative occurred because the area to be avoided was adopted by the International Maritime Organization. Our results demonstrate that international shipping interests are able and willing to voluntarily alter course to protect endangered whales. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
VANDERLAAN, ANGELIA S. M. TAGGART, CHRISTOPHER T. |
spellingShingle |
VANDERLAAN, ANGELIA S. M. TAGGART, CHRISTOPHER T. Efficacy of a Voluntary Area to Be Avoided to Reduce Risk of Lethal Vessel Strikes to Endangered Whales |
author_facet |
VANDERLAAN, ANGELIA S. M. TAGGART, CHRISTOPHER T. |
author_sort |
VANDERLAAN, ANGELIA S. M. |
title |
Efficacy of a Voluntary Area to Be Avoided to Reduce Risk of Lethal Vessel Strikes to Endangered Whales |
title_short |
Efficacy of a Voluntary Area to Be Avoided to Reduce Risk of Lethal Vessel Strikes to Endangered Whales |
title_full |
Efficacy of a Voluntary Area to Be Avoided to Reduce Risk of Lethal Vessel Strikes to Endangered Whales |
title_fullStr |
Efficacy of a Voluntary Area to Be Avoided to Reduce Risk of Lethal Vessel Strikes to Endangered Whales |
title_full_unstemmed |
Efficacy of a Voluntary Area to Be Avoided to Reduce Risk of Lethal Vessel Strikes to Endangered Whales |
title_sort |
efficacy of a voluntary area to be avoided to reduce risk of lethal vessel strikes to endangered whales |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01329.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1523-1739.2009.01329.x http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01329.x/fullpdf |
genre |
Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Eubalaena glacialis North Atlantic |
op_source |
Conservation Biology volume 23, issue 6, page 1467-1474 ISSN 0888-8892 1523-1739 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01329.x |
container_title |
Conservation Biology |
container_volume |
23 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
1467 |
op_container_end_page |
1474 |
_version_ |
1810442750629249024 |