Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T17:08:11.480Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Occurrence of baleen whales in the New York Bight, 1998–2017: insights from opportunistic data

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2022

Emily Chou Open the ORCID record for Emily Chou [Opens in a new window] ,
Melinda L. Rekdahl ,
Arthur H. Kopelman ,
Danielle M. Brown Open the ORCID record for Danielle M. Brown [Opens in a new window] ,
Paul L. Sieswerda ,
Robert A. DiGiovanni Jr.  and
Howard C. Rosenbaum
Emily Chou*
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Society, Ocean Giants Program, New York, USA
Melinda L. Rekdahl
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Society, Ocean Giants Program, New York, USA
Arthur H. Kopelman
Affiliation:
Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island, Inc., New York, USA
Danielle M. Brown
Affiliation:
Gotham Whale, New York, USA Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Paul L. Sieswerda
Affiliation:
Gotham Whale, New York, USA
Robert A. DiGiovanni Jr.
Affiliation:
Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, New York, USA
Howard C. Rosenbaum*
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Society, Ocean Giants Program, New York, USA
*
Authors for correspondence: Emily Chou, E-mail: ec3158@columbia.edu; Howard Rosenbaum, E-mail: hrosenbaum@wcs.org
Authors for correspondence: Emily Chou, E-mail: ec3158@columbia.edu; Howard Rosenbaum, E-mail: hrosenbaum@wcs.org
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The New York Bight is undergoing rapid anthropogenic change amidst an apparent increase in baleen whale sightings. Though survey efforts have increased in recent years, the lack of published knowledge on baleen whale occurrence prior to these efforts impedes effective assessments of distributional or behavioural shifts due to increasing human activities. Here we synthesize opportunistic sightings of baleen whales from 1998–2017, which represent the majority of sightings data prior to recent survey efforts, and which are largely unpublished. Humpback and fin whales were the most commonly sighted species, followed by North Atlantic right whales and North Atlantic minke whales. Important behaviours such as feeding and nursing were observed, and most species (including North Atlantic right whales) were seen during all seasons. Baleen whales overlapped with multiple anthropogenic use areas, and all species, but of particular importance North Atlantic right whales, were sighted outside the spatial and temporal bounds of the Seasonal Management Areas for North Atlantic right whales. These opportunistic data are vital for providing a baseline and context of baleen whales in the New York Bight prior to broad-scale efforts and facilitate interpretation of current and future observations and trends, which can more accurately inform effective management and mitigation efforts.

Keywords

Baleen whalesbaselineNew York BightNorth Atlantic right whaleopportunistic
Type
Marine Record
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 102 , Issue 6 , September 2022 , pp. 438 - 444
Copyright
Copyright © Wildlife Conservation Society, 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brown, DM, Robbins, J, Sieswerda, PL, Schoelkopf, R and Parsons, ECM (2018) Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) sightings in the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary. Marine Mammal Science 34, 250–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, DM, Sieswerda, PL and Parsons, ECM (2019) Potential encounters between humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and vessels in the New York Bight apex, USA. Marine Policy 106, 103527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, CW, Ellison, WT, Southall, BL, Hatch, L, van Parijs, SM, Frankel, A and Ponirakis, D (2009) Acoustic masking in marine ecosystems: intuitions, analysis, and implication. Marine Ecology Progress Series 395, 201–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conn, PB and Silber, GK (2013) Vessel speed restrictions reduce risk of collision-related mortality for North Atlantic right whales. Ecosphere 4, 1–16.Google Scholar
Crain, CM, Kroeker, K and Halpern, BS (2008) Interactive and cumulative effects of multiple human stressors in marine systems. Ecology Letters 11, 1304–1315.Google ScholarPubMed
Henry, AG, Cole, TVN, Hall, L, Ledwell, W, Morin, D and Reid, A (2013) Mortality determinations for baleen whale stocks along the Gulf of Mexico, United States East Coast, and Atlantic Canadian Provinces, 2007–2011. US Department of Commerce, Northeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Document.Google Scholar
Jensen, AS and Silber, GK (2003) Large whale ship strike database (NOAA Technical Memo NMFS-F/OPR-25). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Google Scholar
Kennedy, BRC, Hakam, L, Witting, J, Milani, R, Taei, S, Smith, T, Taylor, E, Teemari, T and Rotjan, RD (2021) Historical trends of sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) distribution in the Phoenix archipelago. Frontiers in Marine Science 7, 583326.Google Scholar
King, CD, Chou, E, Rekdahl, ML, Trabue, SG and Rosenbaum, HC (2021) Baleen whale distribution, behaviour and overlap with anthropogenic activity in coastal regions of the New York Bight. Marine Biology Research 4, 380–400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laist, DW, Knowlton, AR and Pendleton, D (2014) Effectiveness of mandatory vessel speed limits for protecting North Atlantic right whales. Endangered Species Research 23, 133–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lascelles, B, Notarbartolo di Sciara, G, Agardy, T, Cuttelod, A, Eckert, S, Glowka, L, et al. (2014) Migratory marine species: their status, threats and conservation management needs. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 24 (Suppl 2), 111–127.Google Scholar
Lesage, V, Omrane, A, Doniol-Valcroze, T and Mosnier, A (2017) Increased proximity of vessels reduces feeding opportunities of blue whales in St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada. Endangered Species Research 32, 351–361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LoBue, C (2020) Sharing our waters with whales and other marine wildlife. The Fisherman August 2020, 12–15.Google Scholar
Longley, K (2013) Northeast recreational boater route density, Northeast United States. March 20 2013. SeaPlan.Google Scholar
Maxwell, SM, Hazen, EL, Bograd, SJ, Halpern, BS, Breed, GA, Nickel, B, Teutschel, NM, Crowder, LB, Benson, S, Dutton, PH, Bailey, H, Kappes, MA, Kuhn, CE, Weise, MJ, Mate, B, Shaffer, SA, Hassrick, JL, Henry, RW, Irvine, L, McDonald, BI, Robinson, PW, Block, BA and Costa, DP (2013) Cumulative human impacts on marine predators. Nature Communications 4, 2688.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maxwell, SM, Hazen, EL, Lewison, RL, Dunn, DC, Bailey, H, Bograd, SJ, Briscoe, DK, Fossette, S, Hobday, AJ, Bennett, M, Benson, S, Caldwell, MR, Costa, DP, Dewar, H, Eguchi, T, Hazen, L, Kohin, S, Sippel, T and Crowder, LB (2015) Dynamic ocean management: defining and conceptualizing real-time management of the ocean. Marine Policy 58, 42–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, SE, Grebmeier, JM and Davies, JR (2003) Gray whale distribution relative to forage habitat in the northern Bering Sea: current conditions and retrospective summary. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81, 734–742.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2020 a) Reducing vessel strikes to North Atlantic right whales. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/reducing-vessel-strikes-north-atlantic-right-whales. Accessed 24 Feb 2021.Google Scholar
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2020 b) Help endangered whales: Slow down in Slow Zones. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/help-endangered-whales-slow-down-slow-zones. Accessed 24 Feb 2021.Google Scholar
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2020 c) North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) vessel speed rule assessment. July 2020. NOAA Office of Protected Resources.Google Scholar
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2021 a) Active and closed Unusual Mortality Events. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/active-and-closed-unusual-mortality-events. Accessed 24 Feb 2021.Google Scholar
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2021 b) 2016–2021 humpback whale Unusual Mortality Event along the Atlantic coast. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/2016-2021-humpback-whale-unusual-mortality-event-along-atlantic-coast. Accessed 24 Feb 2021.Google Scholar
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2021 c) 2017–2021 minke whale Unusual Mortality Event along the Atlantic coast. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/2017-2021-minke-whale-unusual-mortality-event-along-atlantic-coast. Accessed 24 Feb 2021.Google Scholar
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2021 d) 2017–2021 North Atlantic right whale Unusual Mortality Event. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/2017-2021-north-atlantic-right-whale-unusual-mortality-event#causes-of-the-north-atlantic-right-whale-ume. Accessed 24 Feb 2021.Google Scholar
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2021 e) US Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Stock Assessments 2020. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-271. July 2021. NOAA NMFS NEFSC.Google Scholar
Neilson, JL, Gabriele, CM, Jensen, AS, Jackson, K and Straley, JM (2012) Summary of reported whale-vessel collisions in Alaskan waters. Journal of Marine Science 2012, 106282.Google Scholar
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife, New Jersey Endangered & Nongame Species Program (2021) Biotics Database Digital Data Set: Source Features. Trenton, New Jersey. Accessed 18 May 2021.Google Scholar
North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium (2021) North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Sightings Database. New England Aquarium, Boston, MA. Accessed 16 June 2021.Google Scholar
Oceana (2021) Speeding towards extinction: Vessel strikes threaten North Atlantic right whales. July 2021. Oceana.Google Scholar
Pershing, AJ, Alexander, MA, Hernandez, CM, Kerr, LA, Le Bris, A, Mills, KE, Nye, JA, Record, NR, Scannell, HA, Scott, JD, Sherwood, GD and Thomas, AC (2015) Slow adaptation in the face of rapid warming leads to collapse of the Gulf of Maine cod fishery. Science 350, 809–812.Google ScholarPubMed
Record, NR, Runge, JA, Pendleton, DE, Balch, WM, Davies, KTA, Pershing, AJ, Johnson, CL, Stamieszkin, K, Ji, R, Feng, Z, Kraus, SD, Kenney, RD, Hudak, CA, Mayo, CA, Chen, C, Salisbury, JE and Thompson, CRS (2019) Rapid climate-driven circulation changes threaten conservation of endangered North Atlantic right whales. Oceanography 32, 162–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, JJ, Best, BD, Mannocci, L, Fujioka, E, Halpin, PN, Palka, DL, Garrison, LP, Mullin, KD, Cole, TVN, Khan, CB, McLellan, WA, Pabst, DA and Lockhart, GG (2016) Habitat-based cetacean density models for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Scientific Reports 6, 22615.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sadove, SS and Cardinale, P (1993) Species composition and distribution of marine mammals and sea turtles in the New York Bight. Okeanos Ocean Research Foundation, Inc. Final report to United States Fish and Wildlife Service Southern New England – New York Bight Coastal Estuaries Project.Google Scholar
Schaffar, A, Madon, D, Garrigue, C and Constantine, R (2009) Avoidance of whale watching boats by humpback whales in their main breeding ground in New Caledonia. IWC Scientific Committee. SC/61/WW6.Google Scholar
Scheidat, M, Castro, C, Gonzalez, J and Williams, R (2004) Behavioural responses of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to whalewatching boats near Isla de la Plata, Machalilla National Park, Ecuador. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 6, 63–68.Google Scholar
Smith, SE, Brown, DM, Oliveras, JR, Sieswerda, PL, Ahearn, S and Reiss, D (2022) A preliminary study on humpback whales lunge feeding in the New York Bight, United States. Frontiers in Marine Science 9, 798250.Google Scholar
Southall, BL, Bowles, AE, Ellison, WT, Finneran, JJ, Gentry, RL, Greene, CR Jr, Kastak, D, Ketten, D, Miller, J, Nachtigall, P, Richardson, W, Thomas, J and Tyack, P (2007) Marine mammal noise exposure criteria: initial scientific recommendations. Aquatic Mammals 33, 411–521.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stepanuk, JEF, Heywood, EI, Lopez, JF, DiGiovanni, RA Jr and Thorne, LH (2021) Age-specific behavior and habitat use in humpback whales: implications for vessel strike. Marine Ecology Progress Series 663, 209–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tetra Tech, LGL (2020) Final Comprehensive Report for New York Bight Whale Monitoring Aerial Surveys, March 2017–February 2020. Technical report prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc. and LGL Ecological Research Associates, Inc. Report to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Marine Resources.Google Scholar
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (2020) ECHO Program 2019 voluntary vessel slowdown trial in Haro Strait and Boundary Pass. Port of Vancouver.Google Scholar
van der Hoop, JM, Vanderlaan, ASM, Cole, TVN, Henry, AG, Hall, L, Mase-Guthrie, B, Wimmer, T and Moore, MJ (2015) Vessel strikes to large whales before and after the 2008 ship strike rule. Conservation Letters 8, 24–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vinding, K, Bester, M, Kirkman, SP, Chivell, W and Elwen, SH (2015) The use of data from a platform of opportunity (whale watching) to study coastal cetaceans on the Southwest coast of South Africa. Tourism in Marine Environments 11, 33–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weilgart, L (2017) Din of the deep: noise in the ocean and its impacts on cetaceans. In Butterworth, A (ed.), Marine Mammal Welfare: Human Induced Change in the Marine Environment and its Impacts on Marine Mammal Welfare. Cham: Springer, pp. 111–124.Google Scholar
Zoidis, AM, Lomac-McNair, KS, Ireland, DS, Rickard, ME, McKown, KA and Schlesinger, MD (2021) Distribution and density of six large whale species in the New York Bight from monthly aerial surveys 2017 to 2020. Continental Shelf Research 230, 104572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar