Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys:status quo, data gaps and future challenges
Knowledge of abundance, trends and distribution of cetacean populations is needed to inform marine conservation efforts, ecosystem models and spatial planning. We compiled a geo-spatial database of published data on cetacean abundance from dedicated visual line-transect surveys and encoded >1100...
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Online Access: | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutput/global-coverage-of-cetacean-linetransect-surveys(c9684331-a245-437f-8e3f-4d4692f733c7).html https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044075 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/3074/1/Kaschner2012pone0044075.pdf |
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ftunstandrewcris:oai:risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk:publications/c9684331-a245-437f-8e3f-4d4692f733c7 2023-05-15T13:53:11+02:00 Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys:status quo, data gaps and future challenges Kaschner, Kristin Quick, Nicola Jane Jewell, Rebecca Lucy Williams, Robert Harris, Catriona M 2012-09-12 application/pdf https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutput/global-coverage-of-cetacean-linetransect-surveys(c9684331-a245-437f-8e3f-4d4692f733c7).html https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044075 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/3074/1/Kaschner2012pone0044075.pdf eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Kaschner , K , Quick , N J , Jewell , R L , Williams , R & Harris , C M 2012 , ' Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys : status quo, data gaps and future challenges ' , PLoS One , vol. 7 , no. 9 , e44075 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044075 Abundance Cetaceans Data gaps Visual line-transect surveys Spatial planning Trend analysis article 2012 ftunstandrewcris https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044075 2022-06-02T07:41:32Z Knowledge of abundance, trends and distribution of cetacean populations is needed to inform marine conservation efforts, ecosystem models and spatial planning. We compiled a geo-spatial database of published data on cetacean abundance from dedicated visual line-transect surveys and encoded >1100 abundance estimates for 47 species from 430 surveys conducted worldwide from 1975-2005. Our subsequent analyses revealed large spatial, temporal and taxonomic variability and gaps in survey coverage. With the exception of Antarctic waters, survey coverage was biased toward the northern hemisphere, especially US and northern European waters. Overall, <25% of the world’s ocean surface was surveyed and only 6% had been covered frequently enough (≥ 5 times) to allow trend estimation. Almost half the global survey effort, defined as total area (km2) covered by all survey study areas across time, was concentrated in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Neither the number of surveys conducted nor the survey effort had increased in recent years. Across species, an average of 10% of a species’ predicted range had been covered by at least one survey, but there was considerable variation among species. With the exception of three delphinid species, <1% of all species’ ranges had been covered frequently enough for trend analysis. We use a data-rich species, sperm whale, as an example to illustrate the challenges of using available data from line-transect surveys for the detection of trends or for spatial planning. Finally, we propose and contrast several field and analytical methods to fill in data gaps to improve future cetacean conservation management efforts. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Sperm whale University of St Andrews: Research Portal Antarctic Pacific PLoS ONE 7 9 e44075 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of St Andrews: Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftunstandrewcris |
language |
English |
topic |
Abundance Cetaceans Data gaps Visual line-transect surveys Spatial planning Trend analysis |
spellingShingle |
Abundance Cetaceans Data gaps Visual line-transect surveys Spatial planning Trend analysis Kaschner, Kristin Quick, Nicola Jane Jewell, Rebecca Lucy Williams, Robert Harris, Catriona M Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys:status quo, data gaps and future challenges |
topic_facet |
Abundance Cetaceans Data gaps Visual line-transect surveys Spatial planning Trend analysis |
description |
Knowledge of abundance, trends and distribution of cetacean populations is needed to inform marine conservation efforts, ecosystem models and spatial planning. We compiled a geo-spatial database of published data on cetacean abundance from dedicated visual line-transect surveys and encoded >1100 abundance estimates for 47 species from 430 surveys conducted worldwide from 1975-2005. Our subsequent analyses revealed large spatial, temporal and taxonomic variability and gaps in survey coverage. With the exception of Antarctic waters, survey coverage was biased toward the northern hemisphere, especially US and northern European waters. Overall, <25% of the world’s ocean surface was surveyed and only 6% had been covered frequently enough (≥ 5 times) to allow trend estimation. Almost half the global survey effort, defined as total area (km2) covered by all survey study areas across time, was concentrated in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Neither the number of surveys conducted nor the survey effort had increased in recent years. Across species, an average of 10% of a species’ predicted range had been covered by at least one survey, but there was considerable variation among species. With the exception of three delphinid species, <1% of all species’ ranges had been covered frequently enough for trend analysis. We use a data-rich species, sperm whale, as an example to illustrate the challenges of using available data from line-transect surveys for the detection of trends or for spatial planning. Finally, we propose and contrast several field and analytical methods to fill in data gaps to improve future cetacean conservation management efforts. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kaschner, Kristin Quick, Nicola Jane Jewell, Rebecca Lucy Williams, Robert Harris, Catriona M |
author_facet |
Kaschner, Kristin Quick, Nicola Jane Jewell, Rebecca Lucy Williams, Robert Harris, Catriona M |
author_sort |
Kaschner, Kristin |
title |
Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys:status quo, data gaps and future challenges |
title_short |
Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys:status quo, data gaps and future challenges |
title_full |
Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys:status quo, data gaps and future challenges |
title_fullStr |
Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys:status quo, data gaps and future challenges |
title_full_unstemmed |
Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys:status quo, data gaps and future challenges |
title_sort |
global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys:status quo, data gaps and future challenges |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutput/global-coverage-of-cetacean-linetransect-surveys(c9684331-a245-437f-8e3f-4d4692f733c7).html https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044075 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/3074/1/Kaschner2012pone0044075.pdf |
geographic |
Antarctic Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Pacific |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Sperm whale |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Sperm whale |
op_source |
Kaschner , K , Quick , N J , Jewell , R L , Williams , R & Harris , C M 2012 , ' Global coverage of cetacean line-transect surveys : status quo, data gaps and future challenges ' , PLoS One , vol. 7 , no. 9 , e44075 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044075 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044075 |
container_title |
PLoS ONE |
container_volume |
7 |
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9 |
container_start_page |
e44075 |
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