Researchers have developed a method for forecasting the locations where a distinct population of New Zealand blue whales are most likely to occur up to three weeks in advance.
This ability to forecast is a significant advance in conservation management for a species whose habitat overlaps with a wide range of commercial activities, including oil and gas exploration and extraction, vessel traffic, fisheries and possible seabed mining.
«These forecasts will give managers a really good ability to predict where whales are likely to be and then make decisions about what activities should or shouldn’t happen in those areas,» said study co-author Leigh Torres, an associate professor and director of the Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory at OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute. «Managers can make proactive, rather than reactive, decisions, which lessens the burden on policymakers and commercial users.»
The study’s lead author is Dawn Barlow, a doctoral candidate in Torres’ lab. The findings were published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology. The research was supported in part by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
New Zealand blue whales, recently documented by Torres, Barlow and colleagues, are genetically distinct from other blue whale populations and occur year-round in the South Taranaki Bight between New Zealand’s North and South Islands. There are about 700 whales in the population and the South Taranaki Bight is their only documented foraging ground.
«Because the blue whales’ foraging ground overlaps with industry in this area, there was a clear need from environmental regulators for some kind of management,» Torres said. «But the whales aren’t always in the same places as commercial activities or at the same time. The more we can understand about how the whales distribute themselves, the more we can inform management about where and when blue whale habitat is occurring.»
Initially, there was talk of a establishing a marine protected area — essentially, an area on a map that denotes where certain activities are allowed or excluded — in an effort to protect animals within the boundary, Torres said.
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Materials provided by Oregon State University. Original written by Michelle Klampe. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.