Co-occurrence of gray whales and vessel traffic in the North Pacific Ocean
All species of large whales are susceptible to vessel strikes, but the true scale and geographical extent of such strikes is not known. This paper provides a qualitative assessment of the range-wide risks posed to gray whales Eschrichtius robustus by vessels, by comparing patterns of whale distribut...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:3df971a7b1a247f4966c6a4eb474df99 2023-05-15T15:43:54+02:00 Co-occurrence of gray whales and vessel traffic in the North Pacific Ocean GK Silber DW Weller RR Reeves JD Adams TJ Moore 2021-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01093 https://doaj.org/article/3df971a7b1a247f4966c6a4eb474df99 EN eng Inter-Research https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v44/p177-201/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01093 https://doaj.org/article/3df971a7b1a247f4966c6a4eb474df99 Endangered Species Research, Vol 44, Pp 177-201 (2021) Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01093 2022-12-31T13:17:17Z All species of large whales are susceptible to vessel strikes, but the true scale and geographical extent of such strikes is not known. This paper provides a qualitative assessment of the range-wide risks posed to gray whales Eschrichtius robustus by vessels, by comparing patterns of whale distribution with the density of vessel traffic seasonally throughout the North Pacific in 2019. Areas of very high vessel density were evident year-round near many coastlines, along inter-continental trade routes, and at hubs of commercial shipping near port entrances. Gray whales were exposed to vessel strikes throughout their range and in their feeding, southbound migration, wintering, and northbound migration periods. Areas of apparently high risk were in the Russian Far East (Kamchatka peninsula and Okhotsk Sea), Bering Sea (including the Aleutian Islands), Gulf of Alaska, and along the entire west coast of North America. Risk appeared greatest during south- and northbound migration when much of the gray whale population is moving through waters near shore. Tanker, container, and bulk-carrier ships represent considerable risk to whales in the North Pacific Ocean, but the large geographical extent of commercial fishing activities suggests that fisheries are also a substantial source of risk. Vessel-strike risk maps indicate the relative extent of exposure of gray (and other) whales to underwater vessel noise. The number of gray whales killed by ship strikes each year may be in the tens, or perhaps the low hundreds. Additional analyses, including quantitative assessments, are warranted to further clarify the risk of vessel strikes to gray whales. Article in Journal/Newspaper Bering Sea Kamchatka Kamchatka Peninsula okhotsk sea Alaska Aleutian Islands Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Bering Sea Okhotsk Gulf of Alaska Pacific Kamchatka Peninsula ENVELOPE(160.000,160.000,56.000,56.000) Endangered Species Research 44 177 201 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
spellingShingle |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 GK Silber DW Weller RR Reeves JD Adams TJ Moore Co-occurrence of gray whales and vessel traffic in the North Pacific Ocean |
topic_facet |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
description |
All species of large whales are susceptible to vessel strikes, but the true scale and geographical extent of such strikes is not known. This paper provides a qualitative assessment of the range-wide risks posed to gray whales Eschrichtius robustus by vessels, by comparing patterns of whale distribution with the density of vessel traffic seasonally throughout the North Pacific in 2019. Areas of very high vessel density were evident year-round near many coastlines, along inter-continental trade routes, and at hubs of commercial shipping near port entrances. Gray whales were exposed to vessel strikes throughout their range and in their feeding, southbound migration, wintering, and northbound migration periods. Areas of apparently high risk were in the Russian Far East (Kamchatka peninsula and Okhotsk Sea), Bering Sea (including the Aleutian Islands), Gulf of Alaska, and along the entire west coast of North America. Risk appeared greatest during south- and northbound migration when much of the gray whale population is moving through waters near shore. Tanker, container, and bulk-carrier ships represent considerable risk to whales in the North Pacific Ocean, but the large geographical extent of commercial fishing activities suggests that fisheries are also a substantial source of risk. Vessel-strike risk maps indicate the relative extent of exposure of gray (and other) whales to underwater vessel noise. The number of gray whales killed by ship strikes each year may be in the tens, or perhaps the low hundreds. Additional analyses, including quantitative assessments, are warranted to further clarify the risk of vessel strikes to gray whales. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
GK Silber DW Weller RR Reeves JD Adams TJ Moore |
author_facet |
GK Silber DW Weller RR Reeves JD Adams TJ Moore |
author_sort |
GK Silber |
title |
Co-occurrence of gray whales and vessel traffic in the North Pacific Ocean |
title_short |
Co-occurrence of gray whales and vessel traffic in the North Pacific Ocean |
title_full |
Co-occurrence of gray whales and vessel traffic in the North Pacific Ocean |
title_fullStr |
Co-occurrence of gray whales and vessel traffic in the North Pacific Ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Co-occurrence of gray whales and vessel traffic in the North Pacific Ocean |
title_sort |
co-occurrence of gray whales and vessel traffic in the north pacific ocean |
publisher |
Inter-Research |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01093 https://doaj.org/article/3df971a7b1a247f4966c6a4eb474df99 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(160.000,160.000,56.000,56.000) |
geographic |
Bering Sea Okhotsk Gulf of Alaska Pacific Kamchatka Peninsula |
geographic_facet |
Bering Sea Okhotsk Gulf of Alaska Pacific Kamchatka Peninsula |
genre |
Bering Sea Kamchatka Kamchatka Peninsula okhotsk sea Alaska Aleutian Islands |
genre_facet |
Bering Sea Kamchatka Kamchatka Peninsula okhotsk sea Alaska Aleutian Islands |
op_source |
Endangered Species Research, Vol 44, Pp 177-201 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v44/p177-201/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01093 https://doaj.org/article/3df971a7b1a247f4966c6a4eb474df99 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01093 |
container_title |
Endangered Species Research |
container_volume |
44 |
container_start_page |
177 |
op_container_end_page |
201 |
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1766378105526550528 |