Dear Colleagues,

BOEM is pleased to share with you a new study which assessed vessel strike risk to Rice’s whales in the northern Gulf posed by vessel traffic specifically related to BOEM authorized activities, including evaluating previously employed methodologies for predicting Rice’s whale strike risk. The study provided recommendations to BOEM for additional study to inform a statistically meaningful vessel strike risk assessment methodology.

Stevens TS, Fonseca M, Barkaszi MJ. 2024. Vessel strike risk to Rice’s whale in the Gulf of Mexico: review of previous methodologies, information gaps, and recommendations for future efforts to predict strike risks. New Orleans (LA): U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. 61 p. Obligation No.: 140M0124P0008. Report No.: OCS Study BOEM 2024-053.

 

Abstract

In the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), the endangered Rice’s whales (Balaenoptera ricei) are especially susceptible to vessel strike due to their surface behaviors, particularly at night, when individuals may spend up to 88 percent of their time at the surface. This behavior puts Rice’s whales within the draft of large vessels (i.e., cargo, tanker), increasing strike risk. High volumes of vessel traffic exist in the Gulf, driven by its role as a major hub for international and national shipping, oil and gas, and commercial fishing activities. An assessment of literature, reports, and data sets that present methods and results related to vessel strike risk for the Rice’s whale was conducted to inform risk assessments and to provide recommendations on future vessel strike risk analyses.

 

https://espis.boem.gov/final%20reports/BOEM_2024-053.pdf

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-I-cb97bfd044ffdcb8a0dcf3c801b228a3/pdf/GOVPUB-I-cb97bfd044ffdcb8a0dcf3c801b228a3.pdf

 

Best wishes,

Tre Glenn