Dear Marmamers,
We are pleased to announce the publication of the following article:
Silva, M.A.; Prieto, R.; Magalhães, S.; Seabra, M.I.;
Machete, M. & Hammond, P.S. 2012. Incorporating information on
bottlenose dolphin distribution into marine protected area design. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems,
22: 122-133.
Available online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.1243/pdf
ABSTRACT
- The steady growth of the
whale-watching activities in the Azores
and its concentration in a small area that partly overlaps the home range
of a resident group of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) was one of the driving forces to
proposing part of the range of this group as a marine protected area
(MPA).
- Six years of data collected
during boat surveys were used to investigate how dolphins used the
candidate MPA (cMPA) and whether they showed any preference for the cMPA
over adjacent areas. This work also estimated the fraction of the resident
individuals and group's range included in the cMPA and examined whether
there were any temporal changes in its use.
- Mean daily encounter rate of
bottlenose dolphins was higher inside than outside the cMPA. Dolphin
sightings inside the cMPA were nearly double what was predicted by the
survey effort. Dolphins used the cMPA with similar intensity throughout
the years.
- Resident dolphins were
frequently sighted in the cMPA. However, less than 20% of the known range
(650 km2)
and 41% (39 km2)
of the core area of the group lay within the cMPA. The reliability in the
use of the cMPA over a 6-year period suggests its importance for the
dolphin population remained relatively stable but its surface area was
clearly insufficient to satisfy the spatial requirements of the resident
group.
- Based on these findings, it was
proposed to the Regional Government of the Azores
to extend the boundaries of the cMPA. Accordingly, the modified protected
area established in 2008 includes 100% of the core area of the resident
group of bottlenose dolphins. This study provides an example of how
information on cetacean habitat-use patterns may be used to design
ecologically meaningful protected areas for this group.
Regards,
Mónica
Mónica Almeida e Silva
Post Doctoral Fellow
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Centro do IMAR da
Universidade dos Açores
Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas
9901-862 Horta, Portugal
Tel: (351) 292207800
Fax: (351) 292207811
E-mail: monica@uac.pt
http://www.horta.uac.pt/projectos/cetamarh/
http://www.portulano.org/wkit/index.html
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Biology Department, MS#33
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
E-mail: msilva@whoi.edu
http://www.whoi.edu/