Risk of lethal vessel strikes to humpback and fin whales off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada

• Published in: Endangered Species Research
• Main Authors: Nichol, LM, Wright, BM, O’Hara, P, Ford, JKB
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Inter-Research 2017
• Subjects: Zoology; QL1-991; Botany; QK1-989; British Columbia; Canada; Gam; Lanes; Balaenoptera physalus; baleen whales; Fin whale; Megaptera novaeangliae
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00813; https://doaj.org/article/efc022d296414ad494fba6998b02c5e1

Vessel strikes are a source of mortality and injury for baleen whales, which can have population-level impacts. Spatial analysis of whale and marine traffic distributions provides a valuable approach for identifying zones with high collision risk. We conducted 34 systematic aerial surveys to estimat...