Abstract
Montes, N. L., R. Swett, and T. A. Gowan. 2020. Risk of encounters between North Atlantic right whales and recreational vessel traffic in the southeastern United States. Ecology and Society 25(4):12. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11923-250412
Highlights
The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is an endangered species with an estimated population of 465 individuals (Pettis et al 2018)
We identified areas where North Atlantic right whales and recreational vessels are prone to cooccur by modeling aerial sighting counts of North Atlantic right whales and recreational vessels based on explanatory variables thought to influence their distribution
Relative recreational vessel abundance Most literature on the cooccurrence of North Atlantic right whales and vessel traffic focuses on commercial vessels that are 300 gross tons or greater
Summary
The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is an endangered species with an estimated population of 465 individuals (Pettis et al 2018) Their only known calving grounds are the coastal waters of the southeastern United States (SEUS). This region experiences a large amount of vessel traffic from different sources (e.g., military bases, shipping ports, commercial and recreational vessels), resulting in potential encounters between North Atlantic right whales and these vessels. Previous studies have estimated the relative probability of encounter between North Atlantic right whales and commercial ships that are 300 gross tons or greater (Ward-Geiger et al 2005, Fonnesbeck et al 2008, Vanderlaan et al 2009, Lagueux et al 2011), information about the spatial distribution and overlap of recreational vessels (
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