Unanswered Forum Topics

Long-term trends in cetacean incidents in New South Wales, Australia

Submitted by morgaac on

This study collected information on cetacean incidents (carcasses, injured and debilitated animals found onshore, entrapped in shallow water, entangled or floating offshore) that have occurred in New South Wales, Australia. Information on marine mammal incidents was reported to the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service and recorded into a Marine Fauna Events Database. This information was analyzed for trends in mortality and population dynamics such as age and sex ratios. Records existed for the time period of 1790 to 2013.

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Marine animal entanglements in mussel aquaculture gear: Documented cases from mussel farming regions of the world including first-hand accounts from Iceland

Submitted by morgaac on

Documented entanglement cases for sea turtles and cetaceans in mussel aquaculture gear worldwide were collected. Online surveys and semi-structured interviews with mussel operators were used in Iceland. A total of seven entanglement reports were collected, four baleen whales, one harbour porpoise and two leatherback sea turtles. Mussel spat collecting ropes were involved in the majority of cases. Out of the seven reports, two occurred in Iceland. The proximity between cetacean distributions and mussel farming sites is likely a factor in these interactions.

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Effectiveness of mitigation measures to reduce interactions between commercial fishing gear and whales

Submitted by morgaac on

The authors investigated several data sources and conducted surveys to identify potential mitigation measures that could be used to reduce humpback whale entanglements in Western Australia (WA). The Cetacean Stranding Database (CSD) and Commercial Whale Watching Database (CWWD), managed by the Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife, were both investigated. High occurrences of whale entanglements off the central coast of WA were identified in the CSD.

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Effectiveness of mitigation measures to reduce interactions between commercial fishing gear and whales

Study Type
Summary study
Location
Western Australia
Target catch
N/A
Effect on bycatch species
Preliminary results suggest pingers made no difference to Humpback whale behavior
Effect on target catch
N/A
Reduction technique
Fishing Gear

Effectiveness of mitigation measures to reduce interactions between commercial fishing gear and whales

Study Type
Summary study
Location
Western Australia
Target catch
N/A
Effect on bycatch species
Preliminary results suggest pingers made no difference to Humpback whale behavior
Effect on target catch
N/A
Reduction technique
Fishing Gear

Effectiveness of mitigation measures to reduce interactions between commercial fishing gear and whales

Study Type
Summary study
Location
Western Australia
Target catch
N/A
Effect on bycatch species
Preliminary results suggest pingers made no difference to Humpback whale behavior
Effect on target catch
N/A
Reduction technique
Fishing Gear

Cetaceans and tuna purse seine fisheries in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans: interactions but few mortalitites

Submitted by morgaac on

A quantification of interactions between cetaceans and fishers was conducted in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. A large database of captains logbooks, 1980-2011, was analyzed along with scientific observer observations recorded between 1995 and 2011. The main areas of high co-occurrence between cetaceans and fisheries was shown to exist east of the Seychelles from December to March, the Mozambique Channel between April and May, and in offshore waster of Gabon between April and September.

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Acoustic investigation of bycatch mitigation pingers

Submitted by morgaac on

Pingers have been used on shark nets set along Queensland's beaches since 1992. Due to an increase in whale entanglements in 2009, new pingers (Fumunda F3 whale pingers and F10 dolphin pingers) were deployed between July and August 2010. Subsequently updated research on the use of these pingers was needed.

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Acoustic investigation of bycatch mitigation pingers

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Queensland, Australia
Target catch
Shark
Effect on bycatch species
The current net/pinger configuration is adequate for humpback whales, dugongs and dolphins swimming at normal travelling speeds. The current pinger spacing is insufficient for dolphins swimming straight at the net at high speeds.
Effect on target catch
N/A
Reduction technique
Fishing Gear

Acoustic investigation of bycatch mitigation pingers

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Queensland, Australia
Target catch
Shark
Effect on bycatch species
The current net/pinger configuration is adequate for humpback whales, dugongs and dolphins swimming at normal travelling speeds. The current pinger spacing is insufficient for dolphins swimming straight at the net at high speeds.
Effect on target catch
N/A
Reduction technique
Fishing Gear