and fin whales - Society for Marine Mammalogy
Transcription
and fin whales - Society for Marine Mammalogy
Whales and Marine Debris: An Interactive Web Site for Teaching About Human Impacts on the Marine Environment Kennedy, Jennifer L. ; Schulte, Dianna W. ; Bradt, Shane ; Toepfer, Michael 1 1 Project Area: Jeffreys Ledge Region in the Gulf of Maine Marine debris is a pervasive, yet totally preventable problem. While it is easier to see and imagine the effects of marine debris on shore, marine debris at sea is a less tangible problem, with less-quantifiable impacts. Few studies have been done to track pelagic marine debris (other than fishing gear) in the Gulf of Maine. Since 1996, Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation (BOS) scientists and interns have collected data on whale sightings and pelagic marine debris from commercial whale watching vessels in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. This has given us insight into whale behavior and site fidelity along with trends in debris items, which allows us to target our education efforts. The goal of this project was to develop a way that the public could easily visualize this data and better understand their potential impact on the health of the marine environment. This was done by creating an interactive, GIS-based web site that displays sightings of frequentlyseen individual humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) along with common floating litter items (balloons, plastic bags, cans, bottles, wrappers). ME • 2 NH Results Nova Scotia Jeffreys Ledge Millions of people visit this area every year for tourism, fishing, boating, diving, and shipping. MA Figure 5 Georges Bank The web site allows users to map sightings of whales and litter items in the years 2005-2009, and see the overlap between whale habitat and human activities. Corresponding lesson plans and other materials guide viewers through the process of learning how individual decisions can potentially impact marine life and their habitat. Future work will involve mapping whales and debris in additional years, and isolating instances of where whales and litter items intersected at the same time, allowing us to better determine the potential risk to whales based on location, behavior, and litter items present. This site, even in its initial stages, is relevant to educators, students, the general public, and natural resource managers, including those working coastal and marine spatial planning. Introduction • 2 Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation, 143 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801 USA, [email protected] 2 University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824 Abstract • 1 Figure 4. Screen shot of web site at cegis.unh.edu/WhalesAndDebris showing sightings of plastic bags ( ) and the humpback whale “Owl” ( )in 2008. Figure 5. Close up of a portion of Jeffreys Ledge showing sightings of plastic bags, the humpback whale “Owl” and the date of the sighting. Figure 4 Years Sighted Marine debris impacts wildlife and habitats, and can cause problems for fishermen, boaters, divers and beachgoers. It is also an eyesore, and is expensive to clean up. Although marine debris is a problem, it is often “out of sight, out of mind,” and unless the public is confronted with an actual situation involving marine debris (an entangled animal, for example), it is easy to forget about the problem. A web site was designed to begin to incorporate locations of debris and whales to show that the simple acts of not disposing of trash properly can result in a large amount of debris on the water, and allows the viewer to draw conclusions about how that debris could impact marine life. Whale Name Figure 1. Plastic bag at sea. Species # of Sightings 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 (All Years) Trigger Fin Whale 14 Comet Fjord Ladder Pinball Satula Owl Flask Fin Whale Fin Whale Fin Whale Humpback Whale Humpback Whale Humpback Whale Humpback Whale 30 49 67 39 53 74 195 X X X X X X X X X X X X X To better visualize the data, a web portal was created by UNH Cooperative Extension. The following litter and whale data were integrated into a GIS map (Figures 3 & 4): Methods • Top 5 pelagic litter items: balloons, bottles, plastic bags, cans and wrappers. These were selected because they were found in high numbers X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Table 1. Fin (Balaenoptera physalus) and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales plotted on map at http:// cegis.unh.edu/WhalesAndDebris/, showing name, species, # of sightings for all years and years sighted. and are also items that are easy for the public to identify with. The user can view litter sightings by item, year and month. Between 2005-2010, 11,433 pieces of debris were recorded on 1,487 whale watch trips. Of these, 4,741items were plotted on the GIS map. • Sightings of eight frequently-seen humpback and fin whales were also incorporated. These sightings are plotted by individual and year. Table 1 shows the individual whales and the number of times they were sighted each year. Education & Outreach • A video and PDF file were created to orient users to the Figure 6. Lesson plan site. • Feedback was solicited from users (educators, BOS staff and board members). • A lesson plan (Figure 6) and an accompanying slide show was created, distributed to educators, and is in the process of testing. These materials can be downloaded from www.blueoceansociety.org/MarineDebris/. Conclusions and Future Work While this site does not (yet) show the intersection of whales and marine debris at an exact place and time, it does show that the simple act of not disposing of trash properly can result in large amounts of debris on the water, and the viewer may begin to speculate on how that debris could impact marine life. Figure 2. Pelagic litter data sheet. Figure 3. Whale sightings summary sheet. • • • Pelagic debris data (Figure 2) was collected aboard 4 whale watch vessels departing from Rye and Hampton, NH and Newburyport, MA. Data included location, time, item, composition, condition (if applicable), growth/notes (if applicable) and whether the debris was sighted in the vicinity of a whale. • BOS staff and interns collected detailed whale sightings data (Figure 3), including location, time, behavioral sequencing, and an individual identification if possible. Data was provided to UNH Cooperative Extension, where it was passed through a quality control check, used to create GIS files and projected to a coordinate system to align with a bathymetric map of the Gulf of Maine. The more debris that’s floating on the water, the greater potential impact to the marine environment, either through direct effects such as entanglement or ingestion, or indirect effects such as the release of toxins into the environment. This site can be used as a tool to encourage positive behavior change (e.g., teaching that using reusable bags while at the beach or on the water will result in less debris out in the water). The site will also allow us to look more in-depth at where whales are seen over time and what areas of the Gulf of Maine they’re using (i.e., are they following different bottom contours? Will overlaying additional data layers, such as water temperature, give us additional insights?). As the site develops, it will become even more of a useful tool for educators and resource managers. Future work will include: • Incorporating the most recent sightings and debris data into the database and map. • Improving the speed of the map and the overall user interface • Integrating more information about each whale and debris sighting (e.g., through a pop-up box) • Making the data accessible through a wider variety of methods, i.e., mobile devices, directly in ArcGIS, and Google Earth, and • Further seeking input from educators to improve its usefulness. More Information: www.blueoceansociety.org/MarineDebris www.nhmarinedebris.org Acknowledgments This project was conducted under the Marine Debris to Energy Project, which was funded by a NOAA Community-based Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Grant and the NH Coastal Program with support from Waste Management and Wheelabrator Technologies. Thanks to Atlantic Whale Watch, Granite State Whale Watch, Newburyport Whale Watch and Al Gauron Fishing & Whale Watching, and all the naturalists/research associates, interns and volunteers who collected data for this project.
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