Protecting Cuvier s Beaked Whales from Underwater Noise. Lindy Weilgart, Ph.D. Dept. of Biology

Transcription

1 Protecting Cuvier s Beaked Whales from Underwater Noise Lindy Weilgart, Ph.D. Dept. of Biology

2 Cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins) Highly Acoustic Very vocal, hearing is primary sense Speed of sound 5x that in air Sound UW travels 100s of kms Cetaceans & other marine animals depend on sound for: reproduction communication with group members and young food-finding avoiding predators/hazards navigation sensing their environment

3 Large Potential Area of Impact LFA Sonar: 3.9 million sq. km = size of India (Johnson 2003) Seismic airguns: 300,000 sq. km = size of Italy (Clark and Gagnon 2006) Pervasive and Dominant Seismic airgun noise heard nearly constantly throughout Atlantic at 4,000 km distance, based on a decade of sea floor monitoring (Nieukirk et al. 2012) Increasing Background noise levels doubled every decade for last 6 decades in some areas, mainly from shipping (Andrew et al. 2003; McDonald et al. 2006)

4 Noise can be deadly Military sonars can cause fatal mass strandings, esp. in beaked whales Hemorrhages around vital organs like brain, kidneys; & ears, acoustic jaw fat Animals in severe shock Death within 4-24 hrs. Injuries (emboli) before stranding, offshore deaths (Fernández et al. 2005) VIDAL MARTÍN

5 5 naval ships using sonar, single passage through a channel 14 beaked whales stranded, 6 died Demographic changes (temporary emigration increased) right after stranding, suggest possible displacement, population-level effect (Claridge 2013) Beaked Whale Mass Strandings Photo: Vidal Martin/ Guayarmina Brito

6 Mass Strandings of Beaked Whales Year Location Species (numbers) Assoc. activity, when avbl New York, US Zc (2) 1960 Sagami Bay, Japan Zc (2) US Fleet 1963 Gulf of Genoa, Italy Zc (15+) Naval maneuvers 1963 Sagami Bay, Japan Zc (8-10) US Fleet 1964 Sagami Bay, Japan Zc (2) US Fleet 1965 Puerto Rico Zc (5) 1966 Ligurian Sea, Italy Zc (3) Naval maneuvers 1967 Sagami Bay, Japan Zc (2) US Fleet 1968 Bahamas Zc (4) 1974 Corsica Zc (3), Striped dolphin (1) Naval exercise 1974 Lesser Antilles Zc (4) Naval explosion 1975 Lesser Antilles Zc (3) 1978 Sagami Bay, Japan Zc (9) US Fleet 1978 Suruga Bay, Japan Zc (4) US Fleet 1979 Sagami Bay, Japan Zc (13) US Fleet 1980 Bahamas Zc (3) 1981 Bermuda Zc (4) 1981 Alaska, US Zc (2) 1983 Galapagos Zc (6) 1985 Canary Islands Zc (12+), Me (1) Naval maneuvers 1986 Canary Islands Zc (5), Me (1), Ziphiid spp. (1) 1987 Canary Is. Me (3) 1987 Italy Zc (2) 1987 Suruga Bay, Jpn Zc (2) US Fleet 1987 Canary Is. Zc (2) 1988 Canary Is. Zc (3), bottlenose whale (1), pygmy sperm (2) Naval maneuvers 1989 Sagami Bay, Jpn Zc (3) US Fleet 1989 Canary Is. Zc (15+), Me (3), Md (2) Naval maneuvers 1990 Suruga Bay, Jpn Zc (6) US Fleet 1991 Canary Is. Zc (2) Naval maneuvers 1991 Lesser Antilles Zc (4) 1993 Taiwan Zc (2) 1994 Taiwan Zc (2) (cont d)

7 Mass Strandings of Beaked Whales (cont d) Year Location Species (numbers) Assoc. activity, when avbl Valencia, Spain Beaked whales (2) Naval exercise 1996 Kyparissiakos Gulf, Greece Beaked whales (21) Naval LFAS trials 1997 Ionian Sea, Greece Beaked whales (9) NATO Naval exercise 1997 Greece Zc (3) 1997 Greece Zc (9+) Naval maneuvers 1998 Puerto Rico Zc (5) 1999 Virgin Is. Zc (4) Naval maneuvers 2000 Bahamas Zc (9), Md (3), Ziphiids (2), minke, dolphin Naval MF sonar 2000 Galapagos Zc (3) Seismic research 2000 Madeira Zc (3) Naval MF sonar 2000 Ionian Sea, Greece Beaked whale (1) stranded alive NATO Naval exercise 2001 Oran, Algeria Beaked whales (2) Naval exercise 2001 Solomon Is. Zc (2) 2002 Canary Is. Zc (9), Me (1), Md (1), Ziphiid spp. (3) Naval MF sonar 2002 Mexico Zc (2) Seismic research 2003 Wash. State Harbor porpoise (14), Dall s porpoise (1) Naval MF sonar 2004 Hawaii Melon-headed whales (~200) Naval MF sonar 2004 Canary Is. Zc (4) Naval maneuvers 2005 N. Carolina Pilot whales (34), dwarf sperm (2), minke Naval maneuvers 2006 Almería, Spain Beaked whales (4) NATO exercise 2011 Fontane Bianche, Italy Beaked whales (2) NATO naval exercise 2011 Ionian Sea, Greece & Italy Beaked whales (12) Italian naval exercises and seismic surveys

8 Global Cuvier s Beaked Whale mass strandings (1950 to 2004), with 8 mass stranding focal areas highlighted in gray; 2 of which in Med (Greece and France/Italy) From: D Amico et al. 2009

9 Special Noise-Sensitivity of Cuvier s Beaked Whales and in Mediterranean Sea No Cuvier s mass stranding event documented prior to 1950, when MF naval sonars appeared (D Amico et al. 2009) Out of all single species mass strandings, largest percentage, 45.8%, involved Cuvier s beaked whales (D Amico et al. 2009) Of the 54 single species mass strandings of Cuvier s, nearly half of these (25 events, 106 animals) were in the Mediterranean Sea (Podestá et al. 2006) Strandings significantly correlated with navy exercises in the Med (Filadelfo et al. 2009) Cuvier s strandings associated with seismic surveys (Hildebrand 2005)

10 From: Hildebrand 2005 Only recorded Gulf of Calif. strandings ever of 2 Cuvier s beaked whales: Seismic ship R/V Maurice Ewing s track Stranding site is closest point of approach (within 22 km), coinciding exactly with time

11 Special Noise-Sensitivity of Beaked Whales During multi-day naval exercises with sonar, at received levels <142 db, Blainville s beaked whales stopped vocalizing and feeding, moved tens of km away, returning 2-3 days after exercises stopped (McCarthy et al. 2011, Tyack et al. 2011) With naval sonar, Cuvier s beaked whales stopped normal feeding and swimming, moving rapidly and silently away in longer dives at received levels of db, responding for 3-4 hrs. Energetic costs, increased stranding and decompression sickness risk (DeRuiter et al. 2013) Ship noise caused significant effect on foraging movement of Blainville s up to at least 5.2 km (= 135 db) away from vessel (Pirotta et al. 2012) Ship noise reduced foraging efficiency by > 50%, communication range 5-fold in Cuvier s (Aguilar Soto et al. 2006)

12 Special Noise-Sensitivity of Beaked Whales Lower Blainville s abundance at AUTEC naval range vs. Abaco, Bahamas, based on 15-yr. field study (Claridge 2013) Fewer births (calf:female ratio) at naval range likely reason for fewer animals (Claridge 2013) Long recoveries after deep (1,600 m), long (80 min.) dives, more vulnerable to higher energetic costs of displacement and lower feeding rates during noise exposure; could be mechanism for reduced fitness (Claridge 2013) Adult females show high residency at navy ranges, putting them at special risk, esp. when pregnant and lactating (Claridge 2013) Evidence of a possible population-level effect of sonar use at a navy range (Claridge 2013)

13 MPAs and Noise Buffers Sowerby s beaked whale showed 21% per year increase in sighting rates over 23 years (Whitehead 2013) Could be because of less noise disturbance since area became MPA in 2004 (Whitehead 2013) Less large, loud fishing draggers, seismic exploration, and supersonic overflights (Whitehead 2013) No mass strandings since Spanish government s moratorium on naval exercises in Canary Islands in 2004 (Fernández et al. 2013)

14 Noise Impacts on Whales and Dolphins Increased stress hormones (Rolland et al. 2012) Change in feeding or mating calling behavior (Parks et al. 2007; Castellote et al. 2012; Melcón et al. 2012; Risch et al. 2012), even 200 km away Disruptions of feeding and foraging efficiency (Aguilar Soto et al. 2006; Goldbogen et al. 2013), and displacement over days (McCarthy et al. 2011; Tyack et al. 2011; Miller et al. 2009) Displacement over weeks (Castellote et al. 2012) or years (Morton & Symonds 2002; Bryant et al. 1984)

15 Noise Impacts on Whales and Dolphins (Cont d.) Sudden unexpected permanent hearing damage (Reichmuth et al. 2009) Catatonic behavior, loss of control of muscle movement (Gray & Van Waerebeek 2011) About 50% of entangled or stranded dolphins had severe/profound hearing loss (Mann et al. 2010) Avoidance and changes in dive pattern and feeding (DeRuiter et al. 2013) Decreased species diversity (Parente et al. 2007)

16 Noise Impacts on Fish or Inverts Seismic noise deafened fish ears--no recovery after 58 days (McCauley et al. 2003) Massive hearing trauma in 4 squid species (Andre et al. 2011) Increased stress signs (Buscaino et al. 2010; Graham and Cooke 2008; Wysocki et al. 2006; Santulli et al. 1999) Higher metabolic rate (Wale et al. 2013) Before After From: McCauley et al. 2003

17 Documented Noise Impacts on Fish or Inverts (Cont d.) Disruption in schooling and migration (Sarà et al. 2007) Disruption of homing or orientation (Simpson et al. 2010), causing bio-fouling (Wilkens et al. 2012) Masking of mating calls (Vasconcelos et al. 2007) Decreased feeding efficiency (Purser and Radford 2011) Delayed and abnormal development in larvae (Aguilar de Soto et al. 2013) Reduced catch rates of 40-80% > 30 km from seismic survey (Engås et al. 1996)

18 Concerns Re Draft Res Conservation of Cuvier s Beaked Whales in the Mediterranean Asks the Parties to: 1d) submit within Areas of Special Concern for Beaked Whales to an environmental impact assessment the use of sound sources that exceed 220 db re 1 µpa at 1 m peak to peak source level (e.g.: pile driving, seismic exploration), including a report on the lack of alternative locations and an independently evaluated protocol to mitigate the impact of such activities; 2a) apply in the rest of the Mediterranean Sea mitigation measures during and after activities emitting intense noise sources, i.e. where source levels exceed 220 db re 1 µpa at 1 m peak to peak; Calls on the Parties to: 3a) define in national legislation the requirements of mitigation protocols for activities where sound source levels exceed 220 db re 1 µpa at 1 m peak to peak, taking into consideration the ACCOBAMS Resolutions and Guidelines;

19 Concerns Re Draft Res Conservation of Cuvier s Beaked Whales in the Mediterranean 220 db as source level is considerably too high as it would take roughly 45-3,162 km (24-1,706 nm) to drop down to db, the received level at which Cuvier s responded Environmental impact assessments for loud noise sources should be conducted NOT JUST for Areas of Special Concern for Beaked Whales, but in all areas because: Many other marine species are impacted by noise, i.e. it should be viewed as an ecosystem-wide impact Beaked whales are not just restricted to Areas of Special Concern

20 Areas of Special Concern for Beaked Whales (ASC- BW) in the Med (orange), not including existing MPAs

21 Summary Cetaceans, marine animals highly dependent on sound, ecosystem-wide impacts of noise Large potential area of impact Noise can be deadly, esp. for the noise-sensitive Cuvier s and in the Med Cuvier s respond dramatically at low noise levels of 89 db Likely population effect from noise-caused stranding and ongoing naval exercises, lower fitness (fewer calves) thru energetic costs of displacement and feeding disruption Concerns re Resolutions: 220 db too high EIA for loud noise sources for ALL areas