Harbour porpoises respond to recreational boats by speeding up and moving away from the boat path
Abstract Recreational boats are common in many coastal waters, yet their effects on cetaceans and other sensitive marine species remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we used drone video footage recorded from a recreational boat to quantify how harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:7f239b998ef64bef908bcc601de02b89 2024-09-15T18:30:26+00:00 Harbour porpoises respond to recreational boats by speeding up and moving away from the boat path Xiuqing Hao Héloïse Hamel Céline Hagerup Grandjean Ivan Fedutin Magnus Wahlberg Caitlin Kim Frankish Jacob Nabe‐Nielsen 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11433 https://doaj.org/article/7f239b998ef64bef908bcc601de02b89 EN eng Wiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11433 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-7758 2045-7758 doi:10.1002/ece3.11433 https://doaj.org/article/7f239b998ef64bef908bcc601de02b89 Ecology and Evolution, Vol 14, Iss 5, Pp n/a-n/a (2024) behavioural response boat disturbance drone footage motorboat Phocoena phocoena recreational vessels Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11433 2024-08-05T17:49:18Z Abstract Recreational boats are common in many coastal waters, yet their effects on cetaceans and other sensitive marine species remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we used drone video footage recorded from a recreational boat to quantify how harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) responded to the boat approaching at different speeds (10 or 20 knots). Furthermore, we used a hydrophone to record boat noise levels at full bandwidth (0.1–150 kHz) and at the 1/3 octave 16 kHz frequency band for both experimental speeds. The experiments were carried out in shallow waters near Funen, Denmark (55.51° N, 10.79° E) between July and September 2022. Porpoises were more likely to move further away from the path of the boat when approached at 10 knots, but not when approached at 20 knots. In contrast, they swam faster when approached at 20 knots, but not when approached at 10 knots. The recorded received sound level did not depend on how fast the boat approached, suggesting that differences in porpoise responses were related to the speed of the approaching boat rather than to sound intensity. In addition, porpoises generally reacted within close proximity (<200 m) to the approaching boat and quickly (<50 s) resumed their natural behaviour once the boat had passed, indicating that the direct impact of small vessels on porpoise behaviour was most likely small. Nevertheless, repeated exposure to noise from small vessels may influence porpoises' activity or energy budget, and cause them to relocate from disturbed areas. The approach used in this study increases our understanding of recreational boats' impact on harbour porpoises and can be used to inform efficient mitigation measures to help focus conservation efforts. Article in Journal/Newspaper Phocoena phocoena Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Ecology and Evolution 14 5 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
behavioural response boat disturbance drone footage motorboat Phocoena phocoena recreational vessels Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
behavioural response boat disturbance drone footage motorboat Phocoena phocoena recreational vessels Ecology QH540-549.5 Xiuqing Hao Héloïse Hamel Céline Hagerup Grandjean Ivan Fedutin Magnus Wahlberg Caitlin Kim Frankish Jacob Nabe‐Nielsen Harbour porpoises respond to recreational boats by speeding up and moving away from the boat path |
topic_facet |
behavioural response boat disturbance drone footage motorboat Phocoena phocoena recreational vessels Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Abstract Recreational boats are common in many coastal waters, yet their effects on cetaceans and other sensitive marine species remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we used drone video footage recorded from a recreational boat to quantify how harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) responded to the boat approaching at different speeds (10 or 20 knots). Furthermore, we used a hydrophone to record boat noise levels at full bandwidth (0.1–150 kHz) and at the 1/3 octave 16 kHz frequency band for both experimental speeds. The experiments were carried out in shallow waters near Funen, Denmark (55.51° N, 10.79° E) between July and September 2022. Porpoises were more likely to move further away from the path of the boat when approached at 10 knots, but not when approached at 20 knots. In contrast, they swam faster when approached at 20 knots, but not when approached at 10 knots. The recorded received sound level did not depend on how fast the boat approached, suggesting that differences in porpoise responses were related to the speed of the approaching boat rather than to sound intensity. In addition, porpoises generally reacted within close proximity (<200 m) to the approaching boat and quickly (<50 s) resumed their natural behaviour once the boat had passed, indicating that the direct impact of small vessels on porpoise behaviour was most likely small. Nevertheless, repeated exposure to noise from small vessels may influence porpoises' activity or energy budget, and cause them to relocate from disturbed areas. The approach used in this study increases our understanding of recreational boats' impact on harbour porpoises and can be used to inform efficient mitigation measures to help focus conservation efforts. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Xiuqing Hao Héloïse Hamel Céline Hagerup Grandjean Ivan Fedutin Magnus Wahlberg Caitlin Kim Frankish Jacob Nabe‐Nielsen |
author_facet |
Xiuqing Hao Héloïse Hamel Céline Hagerup Grandjean Ivan Fedutin Magnus Wahlberg Caitlin Kim Frankish Jacob Nabe‐Nielsen |
author_sort |
Xiuqing Hao |
title |
Harbour porpoises respond to recreational boats by speeding up and moving away from the boat path |
title_short |
Harbour porpoises respond to recreational boats by speeding up and moving away from the boat path |
title_full |
Harbour porpoises respond to recreational boats by speeding up and moving away from the boat path |
title_fullStr |
Harbour porpoises respond to recreational boats by speeding up and moving away from the boat path |
title_full_unstemmed |
Harbour porpoises respond to recreational boats by speeding up and moving away from the boat path |
title_sort |
harbour porpoises respond to recreational boats by speeding up and moving away from the boat path |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11433 https://doaj.org/article/7f239b998ef64bef908bcc601de02b89 |
genre |
Phocoena phocoena |
genre_facet |
Phocoena phocoena |
op_source |
Ecology and Evolution, Vol 14, Iss 5, Pp n/a-n/a (2024) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11433 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-7758 2045-7758 doi:10.1002/ece3.11433 https://doaj.org/article/7f239b998ef64bef908bcc601de02b89 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11433 |
container_title |
Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
5 |
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1810471897814532096 |