North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis occurrence in offshore wind energy areas near Massachusetts and Rhode Island, USA

Sm Leiter,Km Stone,Ca Mayo,Bc Wikgren,Ma Zani,Cm Accardo,Rd Kenney,Jl Thompson,Sd Kraus,Tvn Cole

doi:10.3354/esr00827

Abstract

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 34:45-59 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00827 North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis occurrence in offshore wind energy areas near Massachusetts and Rhode Island, USA S. M. Leiter1,*, K. M. Stone1, J. L. Thompson2, C. M. Accardo2, B. C. Wikgren1, M. A. Zani1, T. V. N. Cole3, R. D. Kenney4, C. A. Mayo2, S. D. Kraus1 1New England Aquarium, Boston, MA 02110, USA 2Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA 02657, USA 3NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA 4University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA *Corresponding author: sleiter@neaq.org ABSTRACT: Recent surveys of wind energy areas offshore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island (USA) have demonstrated that they encompass habitat used by the Endangered North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis. Prior to 2011, little systematic survey effort had been conducted in the area. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the state of Massachusetts supported 3.5 yr of twice-monthly aerial surveys by the Northeast Large Pelagic Survey Collaborative (NLPSC). Additional survey teams including the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Center for Coastal Studies have collected sightings data in the region. Data systematically collected by the NLPSC allowed analyses of monthly sightings rates, sightings per unit effort, and hot spots which provided information on current temporal and spatial use patterns. Abundance estimates for each season-year (i.e. a 3 mo period within a given survey year) were calculated. Behaviors observed included feeding and surface active groups. Photo-identification of whales since 2010 yielded a minimum count of 196 unique individuals (annual average = 35), or over one-third of the current population estimate. Analyses of demographics of these individuals revealed that 34 known calving females (30% of the total currently presumed alive) visited the study area. These results demonstrate consistent annual use of this area by a significant portion of the E. glacialis population, with a strong correlation between season and presence. These findings can inform management activities and development planning, and be used as a baseline dataset for assessing long-term impacts to the species. KEY WORDS: North Atlantic right whale · Eubalaena glacialis · Wind energy area · Distribution · Abundance · Behavior · Demographics Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Leiter SM, Stone KM, Thompson JL, Accardo CM and others (2017) North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis occurrence in offshore wind energy areas near Massachusetts and Rhode Island, USA. Endang Species Res 34:45-59. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00827 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 34. Online publication date: July 21, 2017 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2017 Inter-Research.

Highlights

North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis are listed as Endangered under the US Endangered Species Act and on the IUCN Red List (Reilly et al 2012)
76 systematic aerial surveys were conducted by the Northeast Large Pelagic Survey Collaborative (NLPSC) between October 2011 and June 2015 (Table 2)
With the exception of 2010 and 2011, the majority of effort (61 803 km) in the study area (SA) was conducted by the NLPSC

Summary

Introduction

North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis are listed as Endangered under the US Endangered Species Act and on the IUCN Red List (Reilly et al 2012). Important feeding habitats for the species include the Bay of Fundy (Kraus et al 1982), the Great South Channel (Kenney et al 1995), Georges Basin and the northern edge of Georges Bank, east of Cape Cod and south of Nova Scotia (Waring et al 2015), Cape Cod Bay (Hamilton & Mayo 1990, Mayo & Marx 1990, Nichols et al 2008), and the Nova Scotian shelf (Stone et al 1988). E. glacialis calving occurs primarily off the coasts of Florida and Georgia (Kraus et al 1986a), Endang Species Res 34: 45–59, 2017 newborn calves and other very small calves have been reported in other areas, including Massachusetts waters (Patrician et al 2009). Feeding grounds in New England waters and the calving grounds adjacent to Florida and Georgia were federally designated as critical habitats in 1994 (NMFS 1994). Additional sighting records indicate that further E. glacialis habitats may exist, and that existing habitat use patterns may be changing (Weinrich et al 2000, Cole et al 2007, 2013, Whitt et al 2013, Khan et al 2014)

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Conclusion