Mortality and serious injury determinations for baleen whale stocks along the United States and Canadian eastern seaboards, 2004-2008 / by Allison H. Glass, Timothy V.N. Cole, Mendy Garron.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Glass, Allison H.

Contributor:

Cole, Timothy V. N.

Garron, Mendy

Northeast Fisheries Science Center (U.S.)

Series:

NOAA technical memorandum NMFS-NE ; 214.

NOAA technical memorandum NMFS-NE ; 214

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Marine resources conservation--United States.

Marine resources conservation.

Fishery management--United States.

Fishery management.

Fishery management--Atlantic Coast (New England).

Fishery policy--United States.

Fishery policy.

Bycatches (Fisheries)--United States--Statistics.

Bycatches (Fisheries).

Bycatches (Fisheries)--Law and legislation--United States.

Marine mammals--Conservation--North Atlantic Ocean.

Marine mammals.

Baleen whales--Mortality--Effect of human beings on--Atlantic Coast (North America).

Baleen whales.

Baleen whales--Mortality--Atlantic Coast (North America).

Whale stock management--Atlantic Coast (North America).

Whale stock management.

Fishes--Mortality--United States--Statistics.

Fishes.

Fisheries--Catch effort--United States.

Fisheries.

Bycatches (Fisheries)--Law and legislation.

Fisheries--Catch effort.

Fishes--Mortality.

New England--Atlantic Coast.

North America--Atlantic Coast.

North Atlantic Ocean.

United States.

Genre:

Statistics

Statistics.

Physical Description:

1 online document (19 pages).

Other Title:

Baleen whale stocks along the United States and Canadian eastern seaboards, 2004-2008

Place of Publication:

Woods Hole, Mass. : U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, [2010]

Summary:

"The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) has developed criteria to evaluate reports of human-caused injury and mortality to large whales. The criteria minimize the identification of false positive human-caused mortalities and serious injuries and therefore provide a minimum value of human impact to whale stocks. Serious injury is defined as an injury that is likely to lead to death. This report describes determinations made for reports received from 2004 - 2008 involving North Atlantic right (Eubalaena glacialis), humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), fin (Balaenoptera physalus), sei (B. borealis), blue (B. musculus), minke (B. acutorostrata), and Bryde's (B. edeni) whales observed along the eastern seaboard of the United States and adjacent Canadian Maritimes. A total of 539 unique large whale events were verified during the period, including carcasses (both beached and at-sea) and live whales. We confirmed 188 unique entanglement, 57 ship strike, and 330 mortality events. Twenty-four (13%) of the entanglements and 30 (53%) of the ship strikes were fatal. Serious injury was sustained in 18 (10%) of the entanglement events and in 2 (4%) of the confirmed ship strikes. Thirty-three (18%) of the entanglements and six (11%) of the ship strike events did not have adequate documentation to determine if serious injury occurred. Seventy-nine (42%) of the entanglement events and 15 (26%) of the ship strike events were determined to have not caused serious injury or death. Of the 330 confirmed mortalities, 256 (78%) lacked sufficient evidence to determine cause of death. Minke whales had the greatest number of entanglement mortalities (n=11); humpback whales had the highest number of serious injury events resulting from entanglements (n=11); fin whales had the greatest number of ship strike mortalities (n=10); and right whales had the only serious injuries (n=2) from ship strikes. These mortality and serious injury numbers are minimum counts because of poor detection probabilities and inadequate documentation. Thus, the true level of human impact to these stocks is assumed to be greater than that reported here, however the amount greater is unknown."

Notes:

Title from title screen (viewed on May 12, 2010).

"March 2010."

"Print publication date March 2010; web version posted May 12, 2010"--Publication's home page: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm214/#ab.

Includes bibliographical references (page 6).

OCLC:

613957715