conservation – ODYSSEA – Marine research and awareness

08juin

5 réussites exemplaires en conservation marine

Dësen Artikel gëtt et och op Lëtzebuergesch hei.

Le 8 juin, nous célébrons la Journée Mondiale de l’Océan, une journée permettant de rappeler à chacun le rôle vital que les océans occupent dans notre quotidien. Bien qu’il soit tentant de penser que le monde a d’autres problèmes plus urgents à régler, les océans peuvent pourtant nous montrer l’exemple en cette période de crise sanitaire et de protestations. Les océans sont un incroyable réservoir de nouveaux composés qui ont permis le développement de nouveaux traitements antibactériens et antiviraux. En effet, même le test utilisé pour détecter le COVID-19 utilise des enzymes qui ont été découvertes pour la première fois en 1969 dans des bactéries vivant dans les eaux océaniques profondes. De façon générale, les projets de conservation ayant le mieux fonctionné sont ceux qui sont issus de la collaboration de différentes communautés travaillant ensemble dans le but commun d’améliorer leurs vies quotidiennes et de protéger les écosystèmes liés.

Le thème de la Journée Mondiale de l’Océan choisi par les Nations Unies pour l’année 2020 est « L’innovation au service d’un océan durable ». Les océans font actuellement face à divers menaces telles que le changement climatique, la surpêche, and la dégradation des habitats. Alors que les océans subissent des menaces de plus en plus grandes, il est de plus en plus important de développer de nouvelles solutions pour les protéger. La plupart du temps, les informations relayées sur l’état de santé de nos océans (comme le blanchissement des coraux, l’augmentation du nombre d’espèces menacées d’extinction ou la déforestation des mangroves) peuvent sembler accablantes et nous faire perdre espoir. En ces moments difficiles, nous avons surtout besoin d’optimisme (et surtout de #OceanOptimism) afin de nous rappeler que nous pouvons toujours espérer in changement positif. C’est pourquoi nous avons décidé de mettre en évidence 5 exemples de projets qui ont réussi à faire une différence pour la conservation des océans.

1. Participation communautaire pour la protection des zones de ponte des tortues imbriquées

Le premier de ces exemples est celui de la tortue imbriquée qui est considérée comme « en danger critique » d’extinction sur la Liste Rouge de l’UICN. Jusqu’en 2007, cette espèce était considérée comme pratiquement éteinte dans l’est du Pacifique. Cependant, durant un workshop international, les différents experts ont mis en commun leurs connaissances respectives de zones où les tortues se trouvaient toujours, y compris certaines zones de reproduction, apportant ainsi un nouvel espoir dans le Pacifique est. En 2009, une équipe d’experts visita la réserve naturelle d’Estero Padre Ramos au Nicaragua qui, d’après les rumeurs, abritait de nombreuses tortues imbriquées. Leur découverte sur place dépassa toutes leurs espérances puisqu’il s’avéra que l’estuaire abritait 40% de tous les sites de pontes connus dans l’ensemble du Pacifique est. Malheureusement, la majorité des nids étaient victimes de braconnage.

Nesting hawksbill. Photo credit: WCS

Le projet pour les tortues imbriquées du Nicaragua (Nicaraguan Hawksbill Project) a été mis sur pied en 2010 et est fondé sur la participation collective de communautés locales, d’institutions gouvernementales et de diverses ONGs. Le projet a remporté un immense succès et a permis de protéger 500 nids, de relâcher plus de 50 000 jeunes tortues, de mettre en place un suivi par satellite de plusieurs tortues et d’assurer la surveillance des plages où cette espèce pond. Le secret de leur réussite? La communauté locale est directement impliquée dans les processus décisionnels et les habitants reçoivent une récompense lorsqu’ils signalent la présence d’une ponte afin de les encourager à protéger les nids plutôt que de les braconner. En utilisant une telle approche, les scientifiques ont alors plus d’alliés pour surveiller les larges étendues de plage et les communautés locales se voient offrir une alternative viable au braconnage.

Protected incubation of nests. (c) Anna Schleimer

Marking of juvenile hawksbill in Padre Ramos Estuary. (c) Anna Schleimer

Contributors of Nicaraguan Hawksbill Project. (c) Anna Schleimer

2. Augmentation de la tolérance des coraux aux températures élevées

Ce serait un euphémisme que de dire que nos océans ne se portent pas très bien. La couverture coralliaire de la Grande Barrière de Corail a à peu près diminué de moitié suite à des vagues de chaleur estivales en 2016 et en 2017 ce qui a entrainé une diminution de 89% du recrutement de larves en 2018. Malgré cette diminution rapide, les scientifiques ont fait une découverte qui apporte un peu d’espoir pour les coraux. En général, lorsque la température de l’eau devient trop élevée, les coraux rejettent leur symbionte, une algue, qui vit dans leurs tissus entrainant alors le blanchissement des coraux. Récemment, l’équipe de Buerger et ses collègues a fait pousser ces algues symbiotiques à des températures élevées (31°C) en laboratoire pendant 4 ans. Ils espéraient ainsi augmenter la tolérance à la chaleur des symbiontes ce qui pourrait alors augmenter la tolérance à la chaleur des coraux une fois que les symbiontes seraient dans leur hôte. Est-ce que l’expérience a marché? Un tiers des symbiontes élevés en laboratoire ont effectivement augmenté la résistance des coraux au blanchiment. Il est peu probable que cette découverte soit la solution rapide dont nous avons désespérément besoin pour résoudre les problèmes auxquels les coraux sont confrontés. Cependant, cette étude nous a permis de largement améliorer nos connaissances sur la tolérance de la chaleur des coraux et peut-être que des algues symbiotiques résistantes à la chaleur pourront un jour être utilisées dans des projets de restauration de récifs coralliens.

3. Le retour des Léviathans

Certaines populations de baleines ne sont pas encore entièrement remises de la chasse commerciale à la baleine. La baleine franche de l’Atlantique Nord est particulièrement menacée puisqu’il est estimé qu’il ne reste que 400 représentants de cette espèce. Cependant, d’autres espèces ont fait un retour fracassant suite à l’interdiction internationale de chasse commerciale. Le rorqual commun, la deuxième plus grande espèce de baleine après la baleine bleue, bénéficie d’une protection presque totale dans toutes les régions où il est rencontré ce qui a permis à la population d’atteindre un nombre de près de 100 000 individus sexuellement mature, et la population continue encore de grandir! Cette tendance positive est tellement encourageante que, en 2018, le statut de cette espèce sur la Liste Rouge de l’UICN est passé de « en danger » à « vulnérable ». Les rorquals communs vivent généralement dans les eaux océaniques profondes, loin des côtes, là où les efforts de pêches et le trafic maritime sont moindres ce qui pourrait expliquer pourquoi cette espèce s’est beaucoup mieux remise que la baleine franche de l’Atlantique Nord. Les différences de vitesses de rétablissement entre les différentes espèces de baleines malgré l’interdiction internationale de la chasse commerciale à la baleine démontrent que les grands cétacés font actuellement face à de nombreuses menaces liées à l’augmentation de la pêche et de l’intensité du trafic maritime et aux perturbations des écosystèmes suite au changement climatique.

Photo Credit: TerreSky/MICS Photo

4. Le récif de Tubbataha: un paradis pour les requins

Lors d’une récente expédition au sein du Parc Naturel du Récif de Tubbataha situé dans le triangle du corail aux Philippines, les chercheurs du Large Marine Vertebrates Research Insititute Philippines, du Tubbataha Management Office et de Marine Megafauna Foundation ont découvert que ce récif abrite un nombre extrêmement élevé de requins de récif. Cette découverte apporte un certain espoir puisque de nombreuses populations de requins sont en déclin au niveau mondial et que l’état des récifs se dégrade de plus en plus. C’est pourquoi la découverte d’un récif en si bonne santé et fréquenté par de nombreux requins est une découverte à célébrer! En combinant des études visuelles sous-marines à l’utilisation de pièges photographiques, les scientifiques ont étudié l’abondance et la biodiversité de requins et raies sur ce récif qui a été déclaré comme Site du Patrimoine Mondial de l’UNESCO en 1993. Ils y ont observé la plus grande abondance au monde de requin gris de récif et de requin corail! Plusieurs raisons peuvent expliquer le succès de ce parc naturel. Le facteur le plus important est que le parc est extrêmement bien géré et le respect de la réglementation de non-prélèvement est assuré par des équipes spécifiques du Tubbataha Management Office et les Rangers du Récif de Tubbataha. De plus, son isolement, sa taille et sa protection depuis les années 1980s ont également probablement contribué à la conservation d’un écosystème en bonne santé. L’application des réglementations et l’implication des communautés locales sont des composantes clefs pour assurer le succès des aires marines protégées, dans le cas contraire, ces aires protégées risquent de devenir des soi-disant « parcs-papiers » qui n’existent que sur le papier.

5. Rendre son état sauvage à la côte, arbre par arbre

Les mangroves protègent nos côtes, abritent une biodiversité extraordinaire et absorbent des quantités importantes de CO₂. En résumé, la survie de nombreuses communautés dépend des mangroves. Cependant, près de la moitié de la superficie de mangroves dans le monde a disparu depuis 1980 à cause de l’augmentation d’exploitation forestière commerciale, de la collecte de bois de chauffage, de la conversion des terrains pour la culture du riz et des noix de coco et pour la création de bassins aquacoles (par exemple les fermes à crevettes). Pour lutter contre cette dégradation, de nombreuses initiatives volontaires de plantations de mangroves ont vu le jour ces dernières années. Bien que l’intention de base soit louable, l’UICN a averti que ces plantages de mangroves en masse ne soient souvent pas durables. Par exemple, une des erreurs fréquentes faite par ces programmes est de ne pas choisir la bonne espèce pour le bon site et de ne pas avoir le « bon mélange » d’espèces. La bonne nouvelle? Grâce à l’augmentation des ressources financières et de la disponibilité des connaissances sur les mangroves et sur les meilleures façons de les restaurer, il est désormais possible de développer des projets de restaurations qui fonctionneront durablement. Le Mangrove Action Project encourage et enseigne ses meilleures techniques de restauration écologique des mangroves basée sur l’engagement communautaire (« Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration »). Leur méthode a pour but premier de s’attaquer aux problèmes à l’origine de la disparition des mangroves et se concentre sur la compréhension de l’écologie, de l’hydrologie (l’écoulement des eaux) et des besoins des communautés locales pour développer un plan de restauration sur mesure. Ces techniques ont déjà été utilisées avec succès pour restaurer des mangroves en Thaïlande et en Indonésie après le passage du tsunami. Grâce aux formations proposées dans le monde entier, de plus en plus de bonnes initiatives de restauration des mangroves verront très certainement le jour dans le futur.

Malapascua Island, Philippines. (c) Anna Schleimer

(c) Antonio Busiello | WWF-US

Texte écrit par Anna Schleimer. Traduction par Amandine Gillet. Joyeuse Journée Mondiale de l’Océan!

Crédit image photo de couverture: : Shutterstock/WWF/Simon Pierce/TerreSky MICS photo/Anna Schleimer
10mai

Les Aires Marines Protégées – Pourquoi sont-elles indispensables?

Nous vivons sur la Planète Bleue. Les océans recouvrent 70% de la surface de la Terre, contiennent 97% de l’eau présente sur notre planète et y représentent 90% de tout l’espace habitable. Les écosystèmes côtiers tels que les mangroves, les récifs coralliens, les forêts de kelp, les marais maritimes et les herbiers marins sont parmi les écosystèmes océaniques les plus riches en biodiversité et jouent le rôle de nurserie pour des millions d’espèces marines. Certains récifs coralliens peuvent abriter jusqu’à 1000 espèces différentes par m². Etant donné que 15% de nos apports alimentaires en protéines animales proviennent de la pêche et que des millions de personnes subsistent grâce à la pêche, ces nurseries sont essentielles pour assurer la pérennité des stocks de poissons commerciaux. De plus, ces systèmes côtiers sont capables d’absorber et de stocker de très grandes quantités de carbone puisqu’ils peuvent absorber jusqu’à 50 fois la quantité de carbone absorbée par une forêt tropical de la même superficie. Les zones côtières occupent donc un rôle crucial dans le combat contre le changement climatique.

Pourtant, les écosystèmes côtiers ainsi que toutes les espèces qui en dépendent sont en train de disparaitre à une vitesse alarmante. De nos jours, plus de 60% de la population humaine vit à proximité des côtes et 80% du tourisme est concentré proche des zones côtières. La surpêche, la pollution, l’acidification des océans et l’exploitation non durable des ressources ont d’importantes conséquences sur l’état de nos côtes. 60% des plus importants écosystèmes marins du monde qui nous permettent de vivre sont déjà dégradés ou ont complétement disparu et plus de la moitié des espèces marines dans le monde risquent d’être éteintes d’ici 2100 si nous n’agissons pas de façon drastique.

Figure modifiée d'après AfroGraphique for Save Our Seas Foundation | Ivan Colic

La mise en place et la bonne gestion d’Aires Marines Protégées (AMPs) est l’une des meilleures manières de protéger la biodiversité des environnements côtiers. Le Fond mondial pour la vie sauvage (WWF) définit les AMPs comme des « aires réservées et gérées efficacement dans le but de protéger les écosystèmes, processus, habitats et espèces marins et de favoriser ainsi la restauration et la reconstruction des ressources en vue d’enrichissement social, économique et culturel. »

Certaines AMPs interdisent toute activité humaine tandis que d’autres favorisent plutôt la régulation de la présence et l’activité humaine afin d’assurer une utilisation des ressources marines plus durable et plus diversifiée. Les AMPs clairement définies et gérées efficacement fournissent de nombreux et divers avantages. Elles permettent la protection de la biodiversité côtière et des services écosystémiques et augmentent également la résilience et la productivité de ces écosystèmes dont dépendent les pêcheries. Les écosystèmes côtiers en bonne santé offrent aussi une protection contre les marées de tempête qui deviennent de plus en plus fréquentes avec le changement climatique. De plus, ils fournissent aussi des possibilités de développement de loisirs respectueux de l’environnement et d’écotourisme, permettant ainsi de créer de l’emploi. Enfin, ils représentent également d’excellents milieux pour la recherche scientifique et l’éducation relative à l’environnement.

Figure modifiée d'après AfroGraphique for Save Our Seas Foundation | Ivan Colic

Notre production côtière, notre alimentation, l’absorption et le stockage de carbone, nos moyens de subsistance et certains de nos pratiques culturelles et spirituelles dépendent de la bonne santé des écosystèmes côtiers. Pourtant, moins de 10% de ces écosystèmes sont protégés de façon efficace ce qui menace directement la biodiversité côtière mais aussi notre propre prospérité économique et la survie de notre société. Pour toutes ces raisons, un réseau d’AMPs bien gérées couvrant au moins 30% de la surface des océans est nécessaire pour assurer le rétablissement et la protection des écosystèmes côtiers et océaniques ainsi que leurs ressources. Notre propre survie en dépend.

Sources: IUCN, WWF, UNESCO

Texte écrit par Félix Feider. Traduction par Amandine Gillet.
10février

La face cachée de la pêche

Article écrit par Kianna Gallagher.

« Mais tu manges toujours du poisson? » En dehors du scénario où je serais échouée sur une île déserte et où la viande serait ma seule source de nourriture, cette question est l’une des plus fréquentes que l’on me pose à propos de mon alimentation. Au vu de ma position sur les questions environnementales, il m’est apparu clair depuis longtemps que je devais adopter un mode de vie végétarien ou végan. C’est toujours un peu déroutant mais au final, pourquoi est-ce qu’une grande partie des personnes ne considèrent-elles pas le poisson comme de la viande? Après tout, cette chair provient aussi d’animaux!

Continue reading La face cachée de la pêche →
15avril

Ecotourism is coming

Article written by Mel Cosentino.

Seeing animals in their natural environment is full of enjoyment and learning opportunities. Whalewatching, defined by the International Whaling Commission as « any commercial enterprise which provides for the public to see cetaceans in their natural habitat », is my favourite example. The activity started in the 1950s in the coasts of California observing migrating gray whales from shore. The industry has grown incessantly since, and today over 13 million people go whale and dolphin watching in more than 100 countries around the world.

The experience of observing and interacting with a powerful and beautiful animal at sea is enriched when led by a skilled captain and a knowledgeable guide. Moreover, it has the potential to educate the public about the animals as well as to change their attitude towards the environment. Furthermore, the local communities also benefit from the increase in tourists visiting the area. Indeed, the revenues generated by the whalewatching industry is currently over US$2.1 billion in both direct and indirect expenses, much of which ends up in the local communities such as through hospitality and catering as well as other expenses (e.g., souvenirs).

Whalewatching is a profitable and sustainable form of cetacean exploitation. However, most cetacean observations are currently boat-based and the increased interest in watching whales and dolphins up close has raised concerns over the sustainability of the activity. In fact, short-term effects have been reported for many cetacean species and populations worldwide, impacting from common and bottlenose dolphins to humpback and sperm whales. These effects include changes in the respiration pattern and dynamics, speed and direction of travel, and changes in activity and energy budgets, such as a reduction in the time spent resting or foraging. Changes in behaviour leading to reduced energy intake (or increased energy use) can negatively affect the energy budget, which in turn can affect the reproductive success of individuals, and, potentially, the survival of the population. Studying the impact of whalewatching is important to the understanding of cetaceans’ behavioural response to disturbance and thus has implications for the management of the activity, both in the study area and beyond.

During my undergraduate studies I developed a strong interest in the impact of human activities on cetaceans. I then gained experience as a whalewatching guide and research assistant during the summer times and later on, for my master’s project, I studied the impact of whale watching vessels on sperm whales in Andenes, in northern Norway (Fig. 1).

Mel's study area in northern Norway.

Sperm whales

Sperm whales visiting Andenes waters are adult, solitary individuals. They are present every summer season and likely year-round. Some individuals are re-sighted, within and between years, such as Glenn, who was first identified in 1996 and continues to visit the area even to these days. The diving cycle of sperm whales consists of a long, deep foraging dives (~ 30 min) and a resting period at the surface (~ 8 min). Foraging dives start when the whale flukes (Fig. 2) and soon produces clicks that they use to find their prey.

The vessel from which I conducted my study has two mounted directional hydrophones which allows to track and approach the whales while they are still underwater. I monitored the duration of the foraging dives and surface periods, as well as the respiration pattern and dynamics, and the occurrence of “near surface events” (NSE – previously known as “shallow dives”). NSE are easily recognised, as the whale does not fluke and simply disappears. These NSE are short underwater periods (~ 2 min) that do not involve foraging (i.e., the whales are not clicking) and appear to interrupt resting and normal oxygen intake. They also appear to entail an unnecessary increase in energy expenditure, especially when accompanied by an avoidance behaviour (i.e., moving away). These NSE hadn’t been studied before.

I found that that neither the foraging dive or surface periods, nor the respiration pattern and dynamics were directly affected by the presence of whalewatching vessels. However, sperm whales were almost seven times more likely to perform a NSE in the presence of whalewatching vessels, and when these occur, the surface time increased a 75% (6 min), which was also associated with changes in the respiration pattern and dynamics. It is unknown whether the observed associated behavioural responses are due to NSEs, or if NSEs are a consequence of disturbing a whale that is already distressed.

As the sperm whale plunges back into the depth, it flukes up high.

The results also suggested that sperm whales might need time to recover from a NSE before engaging in a new foraging dive. Interestingly, the duration of the foraging dive was independent of water depth or the previous surface period (i.e., duration and presence of whalewatching vessels). This means that the occurrence of NSE led to an increase in surface time that was not followed by longer foraging dives. Sperm whales have a low cost of living, low diet quality, and one of the highest diving efficiencies for a diving animal. Their foraging strategies are related to their specific energetic requirements and the behaviour of their prey; therefore, performing longer dives might not be worth the effort. This means that the additional time spent at the surface represents time that will no longer be available for other activities, such as foraging or resting.

The risk-disturbance hypothesis argues that animals perceive human disturbance in a similar manner to nonlethal predation risk, and thus an animal’s response should follow the same economic principles as if encountering a predator, as observed, for example, in elk and birds. Sperm whales do not seem to follow this principle, exhibiting various acoustic and behavioural reactions (and sometimes no reaction at all) to natural and anthropogenic underwater sounds, to the presence of whalewatching platforms and to killer whale presence/sounds (i.e., predators) and attacks. Also, it appears that sperm whales may react less to the presence of tour vessels than other cetacean species, with recent studies only reporting changes in the inter-breath intervals.

This low level of response has also been reported for sperm whales in other areas, such as off Kaikoura, in New Zealand and off the Azores in Portugal. However, the level of exposure should also be considered. In Andenes, under the current level of exposure, the observed short-term effects likely have no biological consequences for the individuals. However, larger number of whalewatching vessels could increase the exposure levels and some individuals may be targeted several times a day by more than one whalewatching vessel, likely increasing the occurrence of the observed short-term effects and potentially leading to long-term consequences.

Near surface events are an easy to identify indicator of likely disturbance, and thus they should be included in regulations or protocols for whalewatching targeting sperm whales. Individuals that show signs of disturbance should be avoided, minimizing or preventing the adverse consequences of cumulative effects. The use of hydrophones as well as increased collaboration between companies, especially with the use of land-based stations to detect whales, can help avoid vessels targeting the same individual. Understanding the occurrence of NSE may well help explain, and avoid, the circumstances under which obvious and subtle responses occur in the presence of whalewatching vessels or other potential stressors.

Ecotourism and you

The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as « Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. » (TIES, 1990). Ecotourism is wildlife tourism, such as whalewatching, that minimises human impact, while building environmental and cultural awareness, providing financial benefits for conservation.

Whalewatching trips are offered in almost every country where cetaceans (including river dolphins) are present. In the era of internet and social media, it is easy for you to find information in advance about the company you plan to use to provide you with an experience of a lifetime. Many countries have developed or adopted whalewatching guidelines and best practices (also see IWC) to minimise the impact of the activity. These provide recommendations on the behaviour of the vessels around the animals as well as the number of boats that can be targeting a given animal or group of animals at the same time. Do not hesitate to ask your guide or captain to show you the guidelines they follow and how they apply and comply with them. Your satisfaction depends on it, and remember that the trip has to be good for you and for the animals too!

As a matter of fact, your satisfaction will not be the result of how close you are to the animals but of the overall experience around wild animals. Each trip is different, and as we interrupt their natural behaviour when we approach them, they will not always be willing to interact with us. A good guide and a responsible captain are key for an exceptional experience, both for you and the animals. And how much better if you can learn about the whales’ biology, behaviour, and conservation concerns, as well as about area while helping local communities? Be an ecotourist!
15avril

The Aquatic Wild Meat Database

Why monitoring small cetaceans and other aquatic mammals illegally exploited for food and other purposes is necessary

Mel Cosentino, Lucrecia Souviron-Priego

When people hear about the consumption of small cetaceans such as dolphins and porpoises, the first thing that normally comes to their minds are the well-known dolphin hunts that still occur in some coastal areas of Japan or the « Grindadráp », name given in the Faroe Islands to the hunt of pilot whales and other dolphin species. However, the exploitation of small cetaceans and other aquatic mammals for food and other purposes is not an isolated event that takes place in a few countries, but is a common activity in many countries worldwide and, in most cases, is illegal or unregulated.

The products derived from big aquatic animals are known as ‘aquatic wild meat’. These products are used for food as well as bait, traditional medicine, and religious ceremonies, and are obtained through illegal or unregulated hunts, although they can be obtained opportunistically as well, from stranded animals and those accidentally caught in fishing gears. In general, this utilisation begins by chance, however, the demand in some areas has expanded and it is growing leading to deliberate hunts, putting some populations at risk.

Collecting data on aquatic wild meat is intrinsically difficult given that much of the processing occurs offshore, illicitly, or away from centralised food markets. The Aquatic Wild Meat Database aims to centralise available data on aquatic mammal utilisation at a global scale. The idea emerged from a group of scientist and then carried out by Mel Cosentino, a conservation biologist who has a special interest in the impact of human activities on marine mammals. Mel joined forces with Lucrecia Souviron Priego, a biologist currently finishing her PhD on the International wildlife trade at the University of Málaga.

Aquatic Wild Meat Database home page. The picture shows a world map colour-coded by number of records per country.

The database contains data of different types or quality that have been collected opportunistically or systematically and the final goal is use these data to answer different questions. The Aquatic Wild Meat Database was presented by Mel at the 70th annual meeting of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee, which was held in Bled, Slovenia, earlier this year. The idea was discussed with scientists specialised in this field from around the world, who will work with us to continue to improve and populate the database.

The development of the application was possible thanks to the support of the Cetacean Society International and ODYSSEA, which funded the application in its early stages; the project was also supported by Oceancare and the Animal Welfare Institute. The alpha version was posted online last year, and it has been updated and improved since then. Technical support is provided by Momchil Vasilev.
06janvier

Why there is still hope for the Vaquita

Update written by Mel Cosentino.

Many things happened since July. The Vaquita CPR (Consortium for Vaquita Conservation, Protection and Recovery) went live in mid-October with the mission to capture and re-locate vaquitas to a temporary sanctuary. The emergency action plan was led by the Mexican government and supported by a consortium of marine mammal experts from over a dozen organizations worldwide. It was a desperate measure to a desperate situation. There are fewer than 30 vaquitas left.

On the 20^th of October, the team announced they successfully located and rescued the first vaquita, a small calf. The little vaquita had to be released after showing signs of stress. But there was hope. The dolphins were able to locate vaquitas and the team of the top experts in their field were able to capture them for relocation. Just two weeks later, on the 5^th of November a new announcement was made. The second vaquita they rescued had died. This time an adult female.

The team was devastated, and the world started to feel their pain. The pain of losing an entire species. The Vaquita CPR was cancelled. For the first time, vaquitas made the international news and were all over social media. However, the 65 experts from 9 countries did not receive the support one would expect. Nor the vaquitas, not yet.

Scientists have been asking for help for decades. They have been ignored for decades. The main threat to vaquita survival is being accidentally trapped in gillnets, especially those (illegally) targeting totoabas. Totoabas are a delicacy that reach enormous prices in black markets in Asia. In an attempt to attack the problem at its base, a gillnet ban was introduced in 2015 and made permanent in June 2017. But legislations are no game changer. Compliance and enforcement remain low. All there is left now is public pressure.

If we want the vaquita to survive, efforts must multiply now.

And you can help.

https://www.vaquitacpr.org/latest-news/

VaquitaCPR Field Operations
10août
Whale Research and Conservation in the St Lawrence
Text written by Félix Feider, 22-year-old final year undergrad studying Marine Sciences at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He participated in a 2-week research programme at the Mingan Islands Cetacean Study in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Québec, Canada.

My whale research adventure in Canada started in late July. I boarded a Dash from Montreal to Sept-Iles, said goodbye to the big city life and hello to the Canadian wilderness. After a 2-hour drive, I arrived in small, but charming, Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan on the North Shore. It was immediately clear that this region is a hidden gem, with little tourists coming here and a lot of people never even having heard of it (including me until a few months ago). On the north side of the town is vast, seemingly endless dense forest and on the south side is the Mingan Islands Archipelago and the St. Lawrence, sprawling with life. The weather in this region is very volatile, with cloudless skies suddenly turning stormy and rainy. Only good weather conditions allowed us to go out on sea to look for whales. On a good day we would get up at 6am and prepare the 2 inflatable boats to be ready to leave Mingan at 7:30. The archipelago itself hosts a range of smaller marine mammals, such as seals, porpoises and even minke whales. However, the main focus of the research station lies on blue whales, fin whales and humpback whales in the St. Lawrence, which use the highly productive waters closer to Anticosti Island in the south as feeding grounds. After a 1.5-hour drive, the first whales could be spotted. The very first whale that I saw was a right whale, which are relatively new to this area and have encountered hazardous events here in the last weeks, with close to two percent (10 individuals) of the North Atlantic population (estimated to be slightly higher than 500 individuals) having died due to anthropogenic reasons, such as ship collisions and fishing gear entanglements. The North Atlantic right whale is listed as critically endangered, meaning that the species is at risk of going extinct if more animals keep dying than entering the population.

The research station mainly uses two means of monitoring the cetacean populations. The first and most abundantly used method is photo identification (photo-ID), where pictures are taken of the whale’s unique ¨fingerprint¨ to allow identification. This fingerprint refers to a body part of the whale that has a shape and/or pigmentation pattern unique to each individual and that can be used to identify individual whales just using a few pictures. The defining features used for photo-ID changes from species to species. The humpback whale is the easiest to identify: a picture from the right and left side of the dorsal fin and the ventral side of the fluke show highly distinctive shapes and pigmentation patterns. Fin whale identification is based on pictures of the right side dorsal fin and the area behind the blowholes, which hosts what is called the blaze and chevron, pigmentation patterns that are unique to an individual, but much more complicated to differentiate to an untrained eye such as mine. The blue whale was once abundant in this region, but since the early 1990s their numbers in this region have shriveled and only a handful of individuals are nowadays seen here every season. Sadly I did not have the chance to see one myself. Photos are also used to investigate how many animals have been entangled in fishing gear, particularly by examining the number of animals with scars around their peduncle, which is the area where the tailstock meets the fluke.

The second most used method of monitoring the populations is biopsy sampling. An arrow with a 3 cm long hollow metal tube as tip is placed at the region below the dorsal fin, at a perpendicular angle, using a crossbow. The tip only pierces the skin and the top layer of the fat layer, or blubber, which probably feels like a small mosquito bite to the whale. The skin and blubber are later separated in the lab and used for different analyses. The skin is used to extract the DNA, which is in turn used to genetically determine the sex of the individual and to learn more about the population structure and gene pool by defining relationships among individuals. The blubber is used for studies on toxicity load, hormones and pregnancy rates. All these data sets become even more valuable over long term study and since the station is now operating for 38 years, the amount of data collected to date is huge and has already helped us understand a lot about migration, behaviour, life cycle, sexual maturity and much more. Whenever the opportunity arises, researchers also collect fecal (poo!) samples which hold valuable information on the diet and body condition of the animals. That way we can learn what the whales feed on and how healthy they are.

On top of the two above stated methods, the station also uses several tagging methods to monitor the behaviour of the animals underwater. It is important to remember that most of the research here focuses on the brief moments that whales spend on the sea surface, however our knowledge about their behaviour below the surface is very limited at best. Tagging can tell us about the depths they travel to, their feeding behaviours, their diving patterns, migration pathways, important feeding grounds and much more. The problem about tags are numerous though; they are quite expensive (some cost 25.000$), it is difficult and time consuming to place them, they can sometimes hold for just a few minutes and rarely longer than a month and new studies show that the whales’ behaviour is influenced by the tags and therefore the data could be misleading. Despite these problems, certain individual cases in which the tags have stayed put over a long period of time have shed light on some of the many question that are still unanswered. For instance two tagged blue whales have been monitored to stop north of the New England Seamounts to feed over a few days before continuing their migration, the assumed importance of this region to this species was previously not known.

After a long day at sea, having seen and photographed a lot of whales and sampled a few biopsies if possible, we returned to the pier in Mingan. Dinner was always provided at the only restaurant in Longue-Pointe, Le Macareux Dodu, and breakfast at La Chicoutée, both of which had amazing food and the service was always extremely friendly. Everybody whom I’ve met in town was extremely welcoming and it was very interesting to get to know their stories and way of life. On rainy, foggy or windy days we could not go out to sea. Instead I visited the station’s museum, I got presentations about the history of the station, their work, future plans, I went to an Innu Cultural Centre or simply helped at the station, identifying and matching whales that were photographed on previous days or helped wherever else I could. One of the best parts of my experience here was the team. It was an international melting pot of scientists from all around the world, with different backgrounds and each and every one was very welcoming, friendly and helpful. I got to know a lot of amazing, fascinating characters that became friends and who I am hoping to meet again sometime in the future.

To conclude, the 2 weeks that I spent at the Mingan Islands Cetacean Study were fascinating. I learned a lot about marine mammology that I am looking forward to implementing into my future academic career choices. I got spoilt with the diversity and amount of marine life on the St. Lawrence, having sighted numerous fin, humpback, minke and right whales, porpoises, seals and even a few basking sharks, on a good day I saw more than 20 whales. Since my major interest is in marine conservation, I now know the hard work that is required to gather population data for conservation efforts to be possible. My days at the station and time outside working hours were very informative and interesting as well. Long story short, I had an absolutely great time. Since there are still more questions than answers regarding cetaceans and every answer reveals new questions, their work here is far from done and there are many future research opportunities still available. I highly recommend this experience to anybody who wants to know more about whales, cetacean study, the methods of research and the life at a remote research station, I can promise you that you will not regret coming here.
08juillet

Heroes in the Making – Saving the Vaquita

Article written by Mel Cosentino following an interview with Lorenzo Rojas Bracho. Mel has been involved in cetacean research since 2006. She is currently doing her PhD at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow and is collaborating with Odyssea.

The vaquita is the world’s smallest cetacean species, reaching only 1.5m in length and 43 kg in weight. Endemic to the upper Gulf of California (Mexico), it has a highly restricted distribution range. So shy and difficult to see, the vaquita was first described in 1958. Just 20 years later it was included as Vulnerable in the IUCN red list, as was then upgraded to Endangered in 1990. Since 1996 it is considered Critically Endangered, meaning it faces high risk of extinction. It is now the most endangered marine mammal.

Their main threat is entanglement in gillnets targeting totoabas, a marine fish that is also endemic to the Gulf of California and endangered. Totoaba can reach up to 2m in length (larger than the vaquita!), and are illegally caught for their swim bladders. In April 2015, a gillnet ban was introduced for a two-year period to protect both the vaquitas and the totoabas, with associated economic compensation for fishermen costing US$37 million a year. However, the two years have passed and the situation for the vaquita has not improved.

Lorenzo Rojas Bracho is the Coordinator of Research and Conservation of Marine Mammals at the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change in Mexico. Their work includes evaluating risk factors for the vaquita through the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA). The Mexican Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries created CIRVA in 1996 to develop a recovery plan for the vaquita based on the best scientific evidence.

What is the biggest threat for the survival of vaquitas?

“A paper published in the 1980’s that listed potential risk factors for the vaquita included the reduction of flow from the Colorado River due to the constructions of dams, which runs from the US into the upper Gulf of California. The reduced flow would modify the ecosystem due to insufficient input of nutrients. However, no subsequent research supports this as an important risk factor for the vaquita, and yet it continues to be cited by the Fisheries sector, including the Federal authorities, and some researchers.

Fishermen can make between US$5000 to US$8500, and even US$10000 per kg of good quality totoaba swim bladder.

It is very attractive to blame the US, so the Fisheries authorities can ‘wash their hands’. But the main threat for vaquitas is (and has been for the past years) the illegal totoaba fishery. Their swim bladder “reaches exorbitant prices in the Chinese market. Fishermen can make between US$5000 to US$8500, and even US$10000 per kg of good quality swim bladder.

The new invention from the Fisheries authorities, is that white sharks are predating the population. There is no evidence for it either. It is fisheries, fisheries, and fisheries, that’s it.”

How is the situation with the fishermen?

“The relationship between the authorities and the fishing communities is pretty bad. Particularly with the National Fisheries Institute. It is very aggressive.

It may sound ‘imperialist’, but if you think about it from the US fishermen point of view, they want to compete in equal conditions.

With an international call to boycott Mexican marine products that are associated with the death of vaquitas, the whole fishery industry may be shut down. The boycott is “not because the US government asks for it, but because the legislation in the US forbids importing fishing products from other countries that do not follow the same conservation measures for marine mammals than in the US. It may sound ‘imperialist’, but if you think about it from the US fishermen point of view, they want to compete in equal conditions. If they must implement restrictive measures not to harm marine mammals and sea turtles, then competitors from other countries should apply the same measures.

“Fishermen are angry. They have threatened me and others. But they have a point. The fishing industry is going to close, how are they going to eat? There might be no economic compensations, there are no alternative fishing gear.

The Fisheries authorities have put us in a very uncomfortable situation, in which it seems we are trying to save the vaquita and extinguish fishermen. But all recommendations we have made since 1997, when we started, have been to develop alternative fishing gear, which they have not been able to do yet.”

… it seems we are trying to save the vaquita and extinguish fishermen. But all recommendations we have made since 1997, when we started, have been to develop alternative fishing gear…

Are fishermen collaborating to save the vaquita?

“We have been working with fishermen for about 20 years and we have a group of 30 fishermen, out of 800, working with us. So, it really is a small group, and they are constantly assaulted by other fishermen. For example, trying to burn the van of a fishermen that developed an alternative gear. Some ‘bucheros’ (those who illegally fish totoaba for their swim bladder – ‘buche’ in Spanish) control small towns, they are like a mafia, and carry guns. Maybe they are a minority but they have the power to incite others toward violent actions.

Not all fishermen are interested in saving the vaquita, and I don’t know if they oppose its conservation, but the circumstances are being badly handled by the authorities and are leading to a situation where everyone is against the vaquita. I think the majority of fishermen want everything to be over. It is not true either that all fishermen are bad. There are good and bad ones, just like in any other walks of life.

If there were alternative fishing gear, fishermen could go out and do what they do best, which is fishing, and they would have something to feed their families, things would be very different.”

Did the economic compensation help the situation?

“The government, out of respect, gave the funds to the fishing cooperatives leaders, because they know who everyone is. But in Mexico we are not Scandinavians to behave well with things like this. These leaders kept money for themselves. I mean, they added their relatives to the programme. We know for example of nieces and nephews who received funds but are not in the fishing industry, as well as someone’s mother who does not even live in the area. That bad distribution of the resources due to the corruption of the leaders (and I don’t mean all of them, but some), left some fishermen out. Their own leaders punished them. So, what could they do? Some came to work with us (because we pay them) but others went to illegal totoaba fishing.

When the government realised what was happening they took the funds and gave them to the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas which improved the situation.”

The Mexican Government has just announced a permanent ban for commercial gillnets in a designated area within the Gulf of California, except to catch curvina. The ban includes prohibition to transport the nets through the area, as well as on land and air between nearby fishing communities. Additionally, all fishing activities carried out from small vessels are forbidden between 9 pm and 5 am.

“But what is missing is to not only ban the use, but the possession of the nets, because people have them in their houses, and the temptation to go fishing is high.”

It is still unclear, though, if fishermen will continue to receive compensation while (if) alternative gears are being developed.

How is the Government seeking to enforce compliance?

For those fishermen holding permits to fish in the designated area, the new legislation requires them to report to the relevant authorities within 24 hours when nets are lost, and to participate in their recovery. Additionally, vessels are require to carry a tracking system for monitoring purposes.

“For the legal fishing of curvina, which is also being exported to Asia for their swim bladder (although at much lower prices), the Vessel Monitoring Systems system makes it possible to locate where curvina fishermen are, and detect if any fishing vessel is in a different area, which could indicate they are catching totoaba.”

How bad is the situation of the vaquita?

“We have followed the long-term trend of the population for 20 years now, and after the expedition Vaquita 2015, using a combination of acoustic and visual methods, we estimated the population to be of fewer than 60 animals. By November 2016 the data indicated that the population had basically decreased a 50%, meaning than more or less 30 animals were left.” The current population size is unknown; the new monitoring season already started and will last until August or September. But the situation does not look good and it is likely that the population have further decreased since then. They already recovered at least 5 dead vaquitas, “3 definitely caught in fishing nets. Of the other 2, one was a foetus, so maybe the mother had a miscarriage and she died too (or maybe not). We also have a report of another animal, that may have died in December or January. So, the situation is terrible.”

The significant population decline in recent years had led to consider extreme measures: to capture the vaquitas and put them in a sanctuary, away from the fishing nets that are killing them. Just like in a Sci-Fi movie, trained dolphins are going to help save the vaquitas. Yes, you read correctly.

Can you tell me more about the Vaquita CPR project (VaquitaCPR: Consortium for Vaquita Conservation, Protection and Recovery)?

Locating the vaquitas is not easy, but even harder is to know where they are to capture them “Since 2015 when we started working on this idea, the problem we could not find a solution for was how to follow the vaquitas to capture them after we have located them visually or acoustically. During a meeting in San Diego, Sam Ridgway, from the National Marine Mammal Foundation, told us to use the dolphins trained by the US navy. Tests have been successfully carried out already, to locate harbour porpoises in the San Francisco bay, under the Golden Gate bridge. So, we are going to bring the dolphins to the upper Gulf of California.”

The team that will be working to capture vaquitas includes about 40 people from Asia, Europe, and North America (including Mexico). Despite the risks involved in this project, the experts are hopeful. Once the vaquitas are in the sanctuary the key is to use the time “to develop alternative fishing gear, and that there is no need for gillnets anymore. So, then the vaquitas could return to the upper Gulf of California, in a gillnet-free environment.”

“There is a risk. But at least we have the chance to save them. If we leave them out there they are going to die, no doubt.”

How can people help the vaquita?

“I think that one of the things that can be done is to support the CPR project”. Lorenzo recognises the difficulties of the project, and that there are many reasons why it might not work. “But at least we have the chance to save them. If we leave them out there they are going to die, no doubt.”

“We will have great vets on board. Frances Gulland and Cynthia Smith are involved, both internationally recognised for their work.” There is also a system in place that requires that the first step is successful to move to the second step. For example, “if we find them and capture them, but they are too stressed, the project is over.” But Lorenzo is hopeful, there are examples of small populations that have recovered, such as the Condor in California.” Different animals, of course, but the Condor in California was down to 8 animals and they are recovering.”

The vaquita CPR is their last chance to survive and we have to support it. “And obviously, we need funds to promote the conservation of vaquita. If we manage to catch the vaquitas, and everything works well, it is important to keep the pressure for the fisheries authorities to develop alternative fishing gears, or to authorise others to do so.

#ISupportVaquitaCPR.

For the latest CIRVA report, check the IUCN website.

Thank you!

DONATE – http://www.nmmf.org/vaquitacpr.html
08janvier

RTL Documentary « Odyssea »

A small team from the Luxembourgish TV station RTL (Deborah Ceccacci, Sam Bouchon and Marc Aragones) joined Pierre Gallego this summer during his field work in Mozambique, where he studied humpback whales. The result was a great documentary that was aired on TV on 3 January 2017.

The documentary describes Pierre Gallego’s work and gives an insight into the daily life of a marine biologist during the field season: boat surveys, photo-identification, biopsy collection, interaction with volunteers, acoustics, and much more. When asked about where he sees Odyssea in a couple of years, Pierre replied that he would love to see Odyssea grow more by establishing more collaborations in Luxembourg, helping to secure our ongoing research and conservation projects.

We hope the documentary made people rethink the apparent incompatibility between « Luxembourg » and « marine biology » and that they will join us on future expeditions.

You can watch the documentary (only in Luxembourgish) on the RTL website.

A big thank you to the RTL team for their terrific work!

Pierre Gallego (left) with RTL team Sam Bouchon (middle) and Deborah Ceccacci (right).
19novembre

Research Project: Whale Shark Tourism in the Philippines

Over a period of six months, Odyssea researcher Anna Schleimer joined the Large Marine Vertebrates Project in the Philippines to study the behaviour of the world’s largest fish: the wale shark. The project was located in the small town of Oslob on Cebu, which has become a popular destination for whale shark watchers since an amateur video in 2011 had shown fishermen luring whale sharks away from their fishing nets with food. Along with the growing number of tourists came changes in the local economy as the tourist industry created many new jobs in resorts, restaurants, scuba diving companies and tourist tours. Now many locals rely on whale shark tourism as their primary source of income. When talking to locals, you soon realise how proud the community is about their ‘butanding’, the local term for whale shark, and that they care about their whale sharks.

However, the whale shark aggregation in Oslob is maintained through provisioning, a highly controversial method where the whale sharks are being fed by humans to create an incentive for the animals to stay in the area. Possible consequences of provisioning include the disruption of natural behaviour, aggressive behaviour towards humans, and increased stress levels. In order to understand how provisioning is affecting the whale sharks of Oslob, researchers and volunteers from the Large Marine Vertebrates Project spent hundreds of hours in water to study and document the behaviour of the provisioned whale sharks in Oslob. By taking pictures of the spot pattern on the sharks (photo-identification), the researchers were able to recognise individual whale sharks and describe changes in their behaviour over time. The study showed that the sharks had learnt to associate the area with food and that frequently returning sharks had synchronised their arrival to the feeding area with the schedule of the feeding boats, both arriving around 6 am every morning. The researchers also noticed that the whale sharks changed the way they fed over time: while initially the new sharks swam around hectically, with some experience they learnt to approach the boats with the feeders providing little handfuls of shrimp. Experienced sharks were often observed in a stationary vertical position engulfing the food next to the boats. The study also revealed that frequently returning sharks became less skittish over time and reacted progressively less to touches from other sharks and tourists (which were documented despite a no-touch policy).

In addition to the animal behaviour, researchers also recorded compliance to the code of conduct, particularly whether regulations on the minimum distances between swimmers and whale sharks and the maximum number of people allowed per whale shark were followed. The study clearly showed that overcrowding was the norm and that people were not respecting the minimum distance limits to the sharks. That is why a stricter enforcement of the code of conduct is required in order to prevent potentially negative impacts on the animals.

While this study clearly showed that provisioning lead to changes in behaviour of the whale sharks, it remains unclear to what extent the observed changes reflected a mere adaptation to increase feeding efficiency or an actual disruption of natural behaviour. Oslob is currently the only place in the Philippines where an artificial whale shark aggregation is maintained through provisioning. Donsol and Southern Leyte are known to have natural seasonal aggregations of whale sharks (no provisioning) and should be considered as an alternative to Oslob.

The full study can be found here: https://peerj.com/articles/1452.pdf

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1. Participation communautaire pour la protection des zones de ponte des tortues imbriquées

2. Augmentation de la tolérance des coraux aux températures élevées

3. Le retour des Léviathans

4. Le récif de Tubbataha: un paradis pour les requins

5. Rendre son état sauvage à la côte, arbre par arbre

Les Aires Marines Protégées – Pourquoi sont-elles indispensables?

Ecotourism is coming

The Aquatic Wild Meat Database

VaquitaCPR Field Operations

Fishermen can make between US$5000 to US$8500, and even US$10000 per kg of good quality totoaba swim bladder.

It may sound ‘imperialist’, but if you think about it from the US fishermen point of view, they want to compete in equal conditions.

… it seems we are trying to save the vaquita and extinguish fishermen. But all recommendations we have made since 1997, when we started, have been to develop alternative fishing gear…

“There is a risk. But at least we have the chance to save them. If we leave them out there they are going to die, no doubt.”

Research Project: Whale Shark Tourism in the Philippines

Tag : conservation

1. Participation communautaire pour la protection des zones de ponte des tortues imbriquées

2. Augmentation de la tolérance des coraux aux températures élevées

3. Le retour des Léviathans

4. Le récif de Tubbataha: un paradis pour les requins

5. Rendre son état sauvage à la côte, arbre par arbre

VaquitaCPR Field Operations

Fishermen can make between US$5000 to US$8500, and even US$10000 per kg of good quality totoaba swim bladder.

It may sound ‘imperialist’, but if you think about it from the US fishermen point of view, they want to compete in equal conditions.

… it seems we are trying to save the vaquita and extinguish fishermen. But all recommendations we have made since 1997, when we started, have been to develop alternative fishing gear…

“There is a risk. But at least we have the chance to save them. If we leave them out there they are going to die, no doubt.”