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1.
- In Denmark, harbour seals, Phoca vitulina, were first protected in 1977, and since then a number of seal reserves have been established in Danish waters. The effectiveness of these reserves to prevent human‐induced disturbances to the seal population have, however, not been evaluated.
- To evaluate this, experimental disturbances were conducted in one of the most important seal reserves in Denmark (Anholt seal reserve). Specifically, the behavioural responses (alert distance, flight initiation distance, flee distances and flight duration) of harbour seals to approaching pedestrians and boats were studied.
- The project was conducted during three periods related to the breeding cycle of harbour seals. In all periods, harbour seals were alerted by boats at significantly greater distances compared with pedestrians (560–850 m and 200–425 m, respectively). Similar differences in the flight initiation distances were observed, 510–830 m for boats and 165–260 m for pedestrians. In most cases seals were alerted and began to flee when the approaching boat was outside the reserve, whereas seals did not respond to approaching pedestrians until after they had entered the reserve.
- Harbour seals exhibited weaker and shorter‐lasting responses during the breeding season. They were more reluctant to flee and returned to the haul‐out site immediately after being disturbed, in some cases even during the disturbance. This seasonal tolerance is most likely attributed to a trade‐off between fleeing and nursing during the breeding season, and hence not an indication of habituation.
- Based on the results of this study it is suggested that the reserve boundaries on land be placed at least 425 m from the haul‐out area and the boundary at sea should extend to at least 850 m from the haul‐out area in order to secure adequate year‐round protection from disturbances.
2.
Louise Cunningham John M. Baxter Ian L. Boyd Callan D. Duck Mike Lonergan Simon E. Moss Bernie McConnell 《水产资源保护:海洋与淡水生态系统》2009,19(4):398-407
- 1. Compliance with conservation legislation requires knowledge on the behaviour, abundance and distribution of protected species. Seal life history is characterized by a combination of marine foraging and a requirement to haul out on a solid substrate for reproduction and moulting. Thus understanding the use of haul out sites, where seals are counted, as well as their at‐sea movements is crucial for designing effective monitoring and management plans.
- 2. This study used satellite transmitters deployed on 24 harbour seals in western Scotland to examine movements and haul‐out patterns.
- 3. The proportion of time harbour seals spent hauled out (daily means of between 11 and 27%) varied spatially, temporally and according to sex. The mean haul‐out duration was 5 h, with a maximum of over 24 h.
- 4. Patterns of movement were observed at two geographical scales; while some seals travelled over 100 km, 50% of trips were within 25 km of a haul‐out site. These patterns are important for the identification of a marine component to designated protected areas for the species.
- 5. On average seals returned to the haul‐out sites they last used during 40% of trips, indicating a degree of site fidelity, though there was wide variation between different haul‐out sites (range 0% to >75%).
- 6. Low fidelity haul‐out sites could form a network of land‐based protected areas, while high fidelity sites might form appropriate management units.
3.
- 1. Shellfish mariculture is increasing worldwide and often occurs adjacent to marine mammal breeding and feeding habitat. To better understand breeding pinniped vulnerability to potential shellfish mariculture disturbance and displacement effects in a US National Park, potential mechanisms were explored that may affect the proportion of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) selecting high quality haul‐out sites near shellfish aquaculture within a large colony, and overall seal utilization of that colony in relation to other regional colonies.
- 2. Seal haul‐out sites isolated from the mainland (no predator access) had higher pup:adult ratios, indicating they are generally more important for pupping. Short‐term human disturbance did not have a significant effect on spatial use, but rather spatial use was pre‐determined by general sandbar isolation. Using multiple competing hypothesis and an information‐theoretic approach, it was found that within the estuary, after removing effects of El Niño, the proportion of seals (total seals and pups only) hauled out near mariculture sites was 8 ± 2% lower during years of higher oyster harvest. Annual oyster harvest was used as a measure of aquaculture activity that could result in direct disturbance or indirect displacement of harbour seals.
- 3. At the regional scale, oyster harvest, seal counts at a nearby colony, and loss of a major haul‐out site within the estuary, best explained pup and total seal use compared with the region. Regional population size, short‐term human disturbance rate, and other factors were not important. Concurrent with higher oyster harvest, the proportion of regional seals using the estuary declined by 7 ± 2% for seal pups (–65 ± 18 total pups), and 5 ± 2% for total counts ( ? 192 ± 58 total seals). These findings (both within the estuary and at the regional scale) were essentially identical whether modelling oyster harvest as either a continuous or categorical (low/high) variable and when using either frequentist or Bayesian statistical analyses.
- 4. Marine reserves set aside for wildlife may be less effective when the highest quality breeding and pupping sites are adjacent to regular aquaculture activities. These effects may not be detectable until additional natural variation lowers the quality of nearby habitats. Published in 2011. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
4.
Christina A.D. Semeniuk Wolfgang Haider Ben Beardmore Kristina D. Rothley 《水产资源保护:海洋与淡水生态系统》2009,19(2):194-208
- 1. Wildlife tourism can be prone to unmitigated development to promote visitor satisfaction that is all too often progressed at the cost of ecological integrity. A manager is thus faced with the dual task of enhancing the tourist experience and protecting the wildlife species. Accordingly, this mandate requires research into how tourists would respond to proposed wildlife‐management plans.
- 2. This study examines the heterogeneity of tourist preferences for wildlife management at a stingray‐feeding attraction in the Cayman Islands, using a latent class stated preference choice model. A sample of visitors to Stingray City Sandbar (SCS) evaluated hypothetical wildlife viewing experiences in a discrete choice experiment. Its scenarios were characterized by seven attributes such as animal‐feeding and handling rules, ecological outcomes, social crowding, and management cost (defined as a conservation access fee).
- 3. The latent class segmentation identified two groups in the population: approximately 68% preferred the implementation of fairly strict management rules, while the other 32% valued more the maintenance of status quo with its intensive human — wildlife interactions. Despite the differences between the ‘pro‐management’ and the ‘pro‐current’ segments, both exhibited a preference for the continuation of feeding and handling the stingrays (albeit at different levels of intensity) suggesting that one effective way to implement any management actions is to alter the promotional and marketing strategies for SCS. Other survey questions on trip experience, conservation values, and socio‐demographics were used to define these classes further, with the main distinguishing trait being the level of concern for potential impacts occurring at SCS. The discrepancies between the two segments became most obvious when calculating their respective market shares of support for alternative management strategies.
- 4. This approach to determining visitor preferences can help explain how the various segments will be affected by management options, and therefore can provide the basis for developing feasible strategies that will assist wildlife managers in maximizing tourist satisfaction while achieving wildlife‐protection goals.
5.
- Wildlife tourism often focuses on marine mammals, and the growing frequency of human interactions raises concerns about the sustainability of these activities and their impact on aquatic species. Tourists have the opportunity to view the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in various locations; however, the level of tourist activity in some areas and their effects on manatees are unknown. Preliminary studies are essential to assess whether these areas warrant additional regulatory and mitigation strategies based on tourism impact.
- Here, we investigated tourism activity on a site often visited by small aggregations of Florida manatees. From 2022 to 2023, interviews, citizen science, and trail cameras were used to assess watercraft activity, tourist knowledge, and the educational practices offered by watercraft rental businesses at Portosueno Park, Florida, USA.
- Both trail cameras and citizen science revealed that boats were the most common visitors to the park, averaging 23 watercraft visits per week. Interviews indicated that the majority of the public did not observe the posted signs addressing manatee harassment and were unaware of the prohibition against chasing manatees, the most frequently observed form of harassment at the park.
- The methods used complemented each other to elucidate tourism activity and has the potential to inform outreach efforts and mitigation strategies.
6.
Kate A. Lee Charlie Huveneers Tracey Macdonald Robert G. Harcourt 《水产资源保护:海洋与淡水生态系统》2015,25(2):174-186
- Marine protected areas (MPAs) are important conservation tools, however, efficacy can, in part, be a function of their size in relation to the home range of the target species.
- The eastern blue groper, Achoerodus viridis, is a long‐lived, protogynous hermaphrodite, and an ‘iconic’ marine species in eastern Australia, with several MPAs having been established specifically for their protection.
- Site fidelity, habitat use, and home range size were assessed for 29 adult eastern blue gropers monitored for up to 374 days using passive acoustic telemetry within and around a small marine reserve.
- The fish exhibited long residency times and no movement was recorded between adjacent reefs, suggesting sand acts as a natural barrier to movement.
- Core ranges were calculated using 50% kernel utilization distributions (KUD) and estimated between 0.005 and 0.092 km2. Males had larger core ranges than females or fish of indeterminate sex. There was no statistical difference between the breeding/non‐breeding seasons.
- Home ranges were calculated using 95% KUD and ranged between 0.03 and 0.54 km2. Home range size was largest for males and significantly larger for all sexes in the breeding season. Fish tagged in the ‘no‐take’ area of the MPA had smaller home ranges than fish tagged in the area where fishing is permitted.
- This study indicates that even relatively small MPAs can provide effective protection for adult eastern blue groper, supporting the proposition that large reef dwellers with long residency times can be used as flagship species to gain public support for the designation of MPAs.
7.
James R.A. Butler Stuart J. Middlemas Simon A. McKelvey Iain McMyn Ben Leyshon Ian Walker Paul M. Thompson Ian L. Boyd Callan Duck John D. Armstrong Isla M. Graham John M. Baxter 《水产资源保护:海洋与淡水生态系统》2008,18(6):1025-1038
- 1. Within the Moray Firth, north‐east Scotland, there is a history of conflict between seals and salmon fisheries. Under the UK's Conservation of Seals Act 1970 (CoSA) seals are shot to protect fisheries. In 1999 six rivers in the Moray Firth were designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for Atlantic salmon under the EU Habitats Directive, and in 2000 an SAC for harbour seals was designated in the Dornoch Firth.
- 2. In the 1990s salmon stocks declined. Fisheries managers believed the decline was partly caused by seal predation and consequently increased shooting effort. In years 1993–2003 Moray Firth harbour seal numbers declined possibly due to shooting, posing a potential threat to the status of the Dornoch Firth SAC. Meanwhile wildlife tourism based on marine mammals has increased. The declines in salmon and harbour seals, and the implementation of the Habitats Directive forced a watershed in the approach of statutory authorities to managing seals, salmon and tourism.
- 3. In years 2002–2005 local District Salmon Fishery Boards, the Scottish Executive, Scottish Natural Heritage and stakeholders negotiated a pilot Moray Firth Seal Management Plan to restore the favourable conservation status of seal and salmon SACs, and to reduce shooting of harbour seals and seal predation on salmon.
- 4. Key facets of the plan are the management of the Moray Firth region under a CoSA Conservation Order; application of the Potential Biological Removal concept to identify a limit of seals to be killed; management areas where removal of seals is targeted to protect salmon, while avoiding seal pupping and tourism sites; a training and reporting system for marksmen; a research programme, and a framework allowing an annual review of the plan.
- 5. The plan was introduced in April 2005. A maximum limit of 60 harbour and 70 grey seals was set. Forty‐six harbour and 33 grey seals were killed in 2005 while in 2006 these figures were 16 and 42 respectively. Although the numbers killed were below the maximum limits in both years the returns raised questions about the plan's ability to manage seal shooting at netting stations. The plan provides a useful adaptive co‐management framework for balancing seal and salmon conservation with the protection of fisheries and/or fish farms and tourism for application in the UK and internationally.