Vessel collisions and cetaceans
Bryde’s whale, Balaenoptera
edeni, draped over the bow
of a ship © Fernando Felix |
WDCS is concerned by recent evidence which suggests that collisions between
vessels and whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) are happening more
frequently than previously suspected and - particularly in the case of
endangered or geographically-isolated populations - may pose a significant
conservation threat.
The problem is global and has intensified in the
last half century, due to a significant rise both in the number of vessels on
our seas and waterways, and also their size and speed. Studies in recent years
indicate that, for populations in certain areas, up to one-third of whales found
dead display signs of having died due to a vessel strike. The problem is even
more acute in the case of the critically-endangered North Atlantic right whale,
which has a remnant population currently estimated at only 300-325 individuals.
Over half the post-mortem findings for right whales that died in the northwest
Atlantic between 1970 - 2002 (where presumed cause of death could be determined)
indicated that vessel collisions were a contributing cause of death.
A
new WDCS report ‘Vessel collisions and cetaceans: what happens when they don’t
miss the boat’ reviews the latest research, considers the major risk factors for
collisions and offers a series of mitigation measures aimed at reducing
strikes.
Authors: Sarah Dolman, Vanessa Williams-Grey, Regina
Asmutis-Silvia and Steve Isaac
Date of Publication: September
2006
File size 556K
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