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North Atlantic Right Whales:
Overview of Studies of in the
Southeast and Mid-Atlantic
Southeast
Fisheries
Science Center
Dr. Lance P. Garrison
Presentation to SAMFSC SSC
April 29, 2015
Topics Covered
•
•
•
•
NA Right whale Population Status and Trends
Residency and Demographics
Spatial Distribution and Habitat
NARW habitat use outside of traditional calving
area (“Mid-Atlantic waters”)
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 2
NARW Population Status and Trends
• At least 455
individuals in
20101
• 2.8% estimated
mean annual
growth rate (19902010)1
1
Waring et al., 2013
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 3
NARW Population Status and Trends
• Calf mortality may be as high as 3/year1
• Population contains a smaller proportion of juveniles
than expected2
• Slow growth rate compared to other large whale
populations
• Precariously small population
• Frequently exposed to anthropogenic threats
• Endangered under ESA
• Depleted under MMPA (PBR = 0.9)
1
2
Browning et al., 2010
Hamilton et al. 1998, Best et al. 2001
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 4
Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Right Whale Habitats
• Seasonal presence in waters south
of Virginia between November and
April
• Variable numbers of individual
animals, but as many as 243
individuals from all demographic
classes
North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium
http://www.narwc.org
• Primary calving area is off the coast
of Florida and Georgia, but
animals occurring throughout the
season as far north as North
Carolina
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 5
Data Collection: Aerial Surveys (1992-2013)
NOAA Fisheries funds the majority of the SE
survey effort; however, other entities provide
funds as well.
GA/SC (black): Funded by NOAA and South
Carolina Ports Authority (part of project
submitted for ESA Section 7 consultation).
GA/SC Surveys phased out after 2013/2014
calving season
NEWS (blue): NOAA Cooperative State funds
provided to GDNR through ESA Section 6
grant process.
NOAA/SC Ports Authority
(Coop State/Contract)
NOAA Fisheries Svc
(Coop State/ESA Sec. 6)
ACOE/Navy/CG
(Contract)
NOAA Fisheries Svc
(Coop State/MOA)
CEWS (red): ACOE/Navy/CG (reguesting
agencies) provides funds to NOAA
(servicing agency) via Economy Act MOA.
SEWS (green): NOAA Cooperative State funds
provided to FWCC through ESA Section 6
MOA.
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 6
Data Collection: Aerial Surveys
SEIT Recently Reviewed the Objectives
and Design of the Aerial Survey
Program
• Reduced focus on ship strike mitigation
given the vessel speed restrictions and
other management efforts in place.
•
Increased focus on demographic data
collection including documenting
presence of animals in SEUS,
documenting calving rates
•
Reflects anticipated reduced effort
levels and implement a more adaptive
design.
SEUS RW Aerial survey tracks overlaid with model
predictions of right whale occurrence. FWRI
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 7
Demographics and Residence Times in the SEUS
SEUS Individuals by Age Class
Proportion of Individuals
0.45
0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
Calf (0)
YOY (1)
Juv (2-9)
Adult (9+)
Unknown
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 8
Demographics and Residence Times in the SEUS
120
Duration in SEUS: Adults by Month of Detection
Number of Adults
100
Dec
Jan
80
Feb
Mar
60
40
20
0
<10
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70-79
80-89
90+
Days Between First and Last Detection
66% (52/78) of adults first detected during December have durations in the SEUS of 60 days or
more. 60% of adults detected in February have durations of <10 days, many of these with single
sightings.
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 9
Demographics and Residence Times in the SEUS
Seasonal Discovery Curves
•
New individuals are being
observed late into the survey
season with most curves not
reaching asymptotes until
mid to late March
•
There appears to be a midseason “surge” in new
individuals in late-Jan to midFeb in most years
•
2010/2011 was clearly an
odd year with most new
animals seen early in the
season and an early
asymptote.
Cumulative Proportion
1.00
0.80
2005/2006
0.60
2006/2007
2007/2008
0.40
2008/2009
2009/2010
0.20
2010/2011
0.00
15-Nov
4-Jan
23-Feb
Survey Week
14-Apr
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 10
Spatial Distribution and Habitat
The spatial differences in sampling effort requires effort correction
during spatial analysis
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 11
-5
-10
0.
00
70
-5
-20
Depth
-15
0.
00
30
40
00
0.
0.
00
50
0.
00
60
-10
Effort
-15
Bathymetry
ns(SST, 2)
0
5
Spatial Distribution and Habitat
-20
Species-Habitat
Relationships
10
0.0
020
15
20
25
SST
-25
0.00
10
-30
-35
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
SST
SST
Sightings
Predictive
Maps of
Animal
Density
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 12
Spatial Distribution and Habitat
Evaluating Critical Habitat
1.
1Good,
2.
C. 2008. Spatial Ecology of the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis). Dissertation. Duke University, Durham, NC.
2Keller,
C. A., L. Garrison, R. Baumstark, L. I. Ward-Geiger, and E. Hines. 2012. Application of a habitat model to define calving habitat of the
North Atlantic right whale in the southeastern United States. Endangered Species Research 18(1):73-87.
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 13
Application: Proposed Rule Revising Critical Habitat
•
Habitat models were
applied to evaluate
essential features that
define right whale
calving habitat(water
temperature and depth)
•
Models were used to
derive areas where these
elements were most
likely to occur
•
Proposed rule
designating and
expanded critical habitat
in the SE.
Keller et al. 2012
Fed Register 80 no. 34: 9314-9345
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 14
Application: Ship Strike Risk Mitigation
Possible vessel tracks into each port overlaid with density maps to
identify routes with lowest risk to right whales.
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 15
Application: Ship Strike Risk Mitigation
•
Paths with lowest risk
translated into recommended
routes into port buoys
•
Routes mapped on
navigational charts
•
Commercial vessel traffic has,
over time collapsed into these
recommended traffic lanes.
Fonnesbeck et al. 2008
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 16
Spatial Distribution and Habitat
Recently Updated using data from 2003/2004 through 2012/2013 including
SC/GA data.
Gowan and Ortega-Ortiz, 2014
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 17
Continuing Work in the Mid-Atlantic
•
Relatively little data available on the distribution and
habitat use by right whales in waters between the
calving grounds and the northeast feeding grounds
•
More difficult to undertake survey efforts since
intermittently present at relatively low density
•
•
•
GA DNR Permit#15488
Recently SEFSC/SERO conducted a data
assimilation project to compile sightings data for
right whales in mid-Atlantic waters.
Expanding passive acoustic effort into the midAtlantic
Exploring less invasive telemetry tags as a tool to
assess right whale movements during migration
periods.
GA DNR Permit#15488
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 18
Continuing Work in the Mid-Atlantic
Three limpet tags were deployed
on right whales in the SEUS during
January 2015
http://www.alaskasealife.org/New/research/index.php?page=sat_tagging.php
Two tags had significant
attachment durations (15+ days)
Both animals moved north shortly
after tagging
There were no reported sightings
of either whale north of Georgia
Joint project of NMFS, Alaska Sea Life Center, University
of Alaska Fairbanks, FWCC, and GA DNR.
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 19
Application: Fisheries Interactions
•
South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council Regulatory Amendment 16 is
considering the expansion of the
Black Sea Bass pot fishery to include
additional fishing during winter
months in the southeast Atlantic
•
Potential for and increased number
of interactions between right whales
and vertical lines.
•
Habitat relationships were used to
inform alternatives
•
Habitat models applied to evaluate
the relative risk to right whales
associated with different alternatives
for the fishery.
SERO, South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council
Alternative management areas overlaid
with right whale habitat models (Gowan and Ortega-Ortiz 2014)
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 20
Application of Spatial Models
• Better characterize whale
distribution than sightings
• Relate cetacean
distribution to
environmental variables
and predict cetacean
occurrence based on
those variables
• Predict cetacean
distribution within a study
area not sampled
U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 21