Dr Simon Ingram, University of Plymouth - Protecting marine mammals in coastal environments

Protecting Coastal Marine Mammals
Dr Simon Ingram
Marine Vertebrate Research Group, University of Plymouth

The coastal zone, a sensitive environment
Exposed to land based human activities
eg. agriculture, industry
Exposed to marine based human activities;
eg. shipping, fishing,
The interface between land and sea

Marine mammals in coastal waters
Grey seals (Halychoerus grypus)
Common seals (Phoca vitulina)
Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
25 cetacean species (global total of about 80 spp and 2 species of seal.
Species listed in Annex ii of EU Habitats Directive

Coastal marine mammals
• Reliant on vulnerable coastal habitats
• High trophic level, ‘top predator’
• Long lived – slow breeding species (K selected)
• Highly mobile

The straw that broke the camel’s back
Or in this case…the cumulative burden of anthropogenic impacts on
coastal marine mammals
Fisheries depletion of
prey
Ecosystem regime shift
Noise from diesel
powered vessels
Disturbance from boats
Disturbance from
ecotourism
Disturbance from
leisure boats and jet
skis
Bio-accumulation of
heavy metals
Accumulation of
endocrine disrupting
organic pollutants
(PCBs)
Declining reproductive
success and survival
Fragmented
communities and loss
of population
resilience
Climate change..?
Direct takes (hunting)

Saxon era middens (7th – 10th C) near the Humber contained the remains of 58 dolphins from
a now extinct bottlenose dolphin population. (bottlenose dolphins disappeared from the
Humber in 1890’s). Dolphins and porpoises appeared on Henry XIII’s menu’s at Hampton
Court and were ‘royal fish’
Evidence shows that bottlenose dolphins used to be more widespread in our
coastal waters and that they were part of human diet.

Ban on Bass pair trawling (out to 12 nm in UK waters only)
Image http://www.cornwallgoodseafoodguide.org.uk

PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) (persistant organic pollutant) levels in
dolphin blubber samples (banned since 2004 Stockholm Convention)
Red line = highest previous published levels in marine mammals
Black line = level known to have physiological effects

Noise exposure (OSPAR has classified human noise as a
marine pollutant)

The reality..!
Whale watching
-eco-tourism
• Risk of poor practice
• Chronic disturbance

The Long-term Consequences of
Short-term Responses to Disturbance
Experiences from Whalewatching Impact Assessment
Lusseau & Bejder. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2007, 20, 228-236.
Measuring the effects of whalewatching tourism on wild
cetaceans

2 SACs in UK
2 SACs in Ireland
Current conservation underpinned by the EU Habitats Directive and Bern Convention
• Static MPAs
• Single species focus
• Designations not
determined by threat
• Brexit

Seasonal changes in rates of use of MPA (Shannon)
0
5
10
15
20
25
Jan
(n=5)
Feb
(n=5)
Mar
(n=6)
Apr
(n=6)
May
(n=5)
Jun
(n=6)
Jul
(n=31)
Aug
(n=43)
Sep
(n=40)
Oct
(n=8)
Nov
(n=6)
Dec
(n=2)
0
5
10
15
20
25
Jan
(n=5)
Feb
(n=5)
Mar
(n=6)
Apr
(n=6)
May
(n=5)
Jun
(n=6)
Jul
(n=31)
Aug
(n=43)
Sep
(n=40)
Oct
(n=8)
Nov
(n=6)
Dec
(n=2)
• Strong seasonal pattern in site use
• Site use is highly variable
• Suggests the SAC only represents a part of the range of the animals
The dolphins are not always within the protected area !

Long term shifts in ranging behaviour of a protected
population…
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Wilson et al. (2004), Animal Conservation
1990-1995
1996-2000

2016 data 28 dolphins estimated to use SW waters
Are static MPAs the best approach for protecting bottlenose
dolphins in SW coastal waters?

Ecosystem based management – understanding
dynamic influences on habitat use
• Tidal influence on foraging

Ecosystem based
management &
Indicators
What does a decline in the
indicator signal in the system?
What is the appropriate response?
Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)
Coastal bottlenose dolphins indicators for ecosystem status (GES)

What does the future hold….?
• Flexible MPAs?
• Threat based management
• Cumulative risk management
• Dynamic ocean management

Dr Simon Ingram, University of Plymouth - Protecting marine mammals in coastal environments

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Dr Simon Ingram, University of Plymouth - Protecting marine mammals in coastal environments