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Barkaszi MJ, Kelly CJ. Analysis of protected species observer data: Strengths, weaknesses, and application in the assessment of marine mammal responses to seismic surveys in the northern Gulf of Mexico 2002-2015. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300658. [PMID: 38512955 PMCID: PMC10956755 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual observation data collected by protected species observers (PSOs) is required per regulations stipulated in Notices to Lessees (NTLs) and geophysical survey Permits (Form BOEM-0328) issued to seismic operators in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Here, data collected by certified and trained PSOs during seismic surveys conducted between 2002-2015 were compiled and analyzed to assess utility in assessing marine mammal responses to seismic noise and effectiveness of required mitigation measures. A total of 3,886 agency-required bi-weekly PSO Effort and Sightings reports were analyzed comprising 598,319 hours of PSO visual effort and 15,117 visual sighting records of marine mammals. The observed closest point of approach (CPA) distance was statistically compared across five species groupings for four airgun activity levels (full, minimum source, ramp up, silent). Whale and dolphin detections were significantly farther from airgun array locations during full power operations versus silence, indicating some avoidance response to full-power operations. Dolphin CPA distances were also significantly farther from airguns operating at minimum source than silence. Blackfish were observed significantly farther from the airgun array during ramp up versus both full and minimum source activities. Blackfish were observed significantly closer to the airgun array during silent activities versus at full, minimum source, and ramp up activities. Beaked whales had the largest mean CPA for detection distance compared to all other species groups. Detection distances for beaked whales were not significantly differences between full and silent operations; however, the sample size was very low. Overall results are consistent with other studies indicating that marine mammals may avoid exposure to airgun sounds based on observed distance from the seismic source during specified source activities. There was geographic variability in sighting rates associated with specific areas of interest within the GOM. This study demonstrates that agency required PSO reports provide a robust and useful data set applicable to impact assessments; management, policy and regulatory decision making; and qualitative input for regional scientific, stock assessment and abundance studies. However, several improvements in content and consistency would facilitate finer-scale analysis of some topics (e.g., effort associated with specific activities, observer biases, sound field estimation) and support statistical comparisons that could provide further insight into marine mammal responses and mitigation efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Jo Barkaszi
- CSA Ocean Sciences Inc., Okeechobee, FL, United States of America
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2
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Araújo VM, Shukla A, Chion C, Gambs S, Michaud R. Machine-Learning Approach for Automatic Detection of Wild Beluga Whales from Hand-Held Camera Pictures. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:4107. [PMID: 35684729 PMCID: PMC9185326 DOI: 10.3390/s22114107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
A key aspect of ocean protection consists in estimating the abundance of marine mammal population density within their habitat, which is usually accomplished using visual inspection and cameras from line-transect ships, small boats, and aircraft. However, marine mammal observation through vessel surveys requires significant workforce resources, including for the post-processing of pictures, and is further challenged due to animal bodies being partially hidden underwater, small-scale object size, occlusion among objects, and distracter objects (e.g., waves, sun glare, etc.). To relieve the human expert's workload while improving the observation accuracy, we propose a novel system for automating the detection of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in the wild from pictures. Our system relies on a dataset named Beluga-5k, containing more than 5.5 thousand pictures of belugas. First, to improve the dataset's annotation, we have designed a semi-manual strategy for annotating candidates in images with single (i.e., one beluga) and multiple (i.e., two or more belugas) candidate subjects efficiently. Second, we have studied the performance of three off-the-shelf object-detection algorithms, namely, Mask-RCNN, SSD, and YOLO v3-Tiny, on the Beluga-5k dataset. Afterward, we have set YOLO v3-Tiny as the detector, integrating single- and multiple-individual images into the model training. Our fine-tuned CNN-backbone detector trained with semi-manual annotations is able to detect belugas despite the presence of distracter objects with high accuracy (i.e., 97.05 mAP@0.5). Finally, our proposed method is able to detect overlapped/occluded multiple individuals in images (beluga whales that swim in groups). For instance, it is able to detect 688 out of 706 belugas encountered in 200 multiple images, achieving 98.29% precision and 99.14% recall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Voncarlos M. Araújo
- Département des Sciences Naturelles, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Ripon, QC J0V 1V0, Canada;
| | - Ankita Shukla
- School of Arts, Media and Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA;
| | - Clément Chion
- Département des Sciences Naturelles, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Ripon, QC J0V 1V0, Canada;
| | - Sébastien Gambs
- Département d’Informatique, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montreal, QC H2L 2C4, Canada;
| | - Robert Michaud
- Groupe de Recherche et d’Éducation sur les Mammifères Marins (GREMM), Tadoussac, QC G0T 2A0, Canada;
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3
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Risch D, Calderan S, Leaper R, Weilgart L, Werner S. Current Knowledge Already Justifies Underwater Noise Reduction. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:381-382. [PMID: 33454144 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Denise Risch
- Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA, Scotland, UK.
| | - Susannah Calderan
- Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA, Scotland, UK
| | - Russell Leaper
- International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), London, SE1 8NN, UK
| | - Lindy Weilgart
- OceanCare, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland; Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4RS, Canada
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Tepsich P, Schettino I, Atzori F, Azzolin M, Campana I, Carosso L, Cominelli S, Crosti R, David L, Di-Méglio N, Frau F, Gregorietti M, Mazzucato V, Monaco C, Moulins A, Paraboschi M, Pellegrino G, Rosso M, Roul M, Saintignan S, Arcangeli A. Trends in summer presence of fin whales in the Western Mediterranean Sea Region: new insights from a long-term monitoring program. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10544. [PMID: 33362978 PMCID: PMC7745674 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Mediterranean subpopulation of fin whale Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) has recently been listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The species is also listed as species in need of strict protection under the Habitat Directive and is one of the indicators for the assessment of Good Environmental Status under the MSFD. Reference values on population abundance and trends are needed in order to set the threshold values and to assess the conservation status of the population. METHODS Yearly summer monitoring using ferries as platform of opportunity was performed since 2008 within the framework of the FLT Med Network. Data were collected along several fixed transects crossing the Western Mediterranean basin and the Adriatic and Ionian region. Species presence, expressed by density recorded along the sampled transects, was inspected for assessing interannual variability together with group size. Generalized Additive Models were used to describe density trends over a 11 years' period (2008-2018). A spatial multi-scale approach was used to highlight intra-basin differences in species presence and distribution during the years. RESULTS Summer presence of fin whales in the western Mediterranean area showed a strong interannual variability, characterized by the alternance of rich and poor years. Small and large groups of fin whales were sighted only during rich years, confirming the favorable feeding condition influencing species presence. Trends highlighted by the GAM can be summarized as positive from 2008 to 2013, and slightly negative from 2014 to 2018. The sub-areas analysis showed a similar pattern, but with a more stable trend during the second period in the Pelagos Sanctuary sub-area, and a negative one in the other two sub-areas. Our findings further confirm the need for an integrated approach foreseeing both, large scale surveys and yearly monitoring at different spatial scales to correct and interpret the basin wide abundance estimates, and to correlate spatial and temporal trends with the ecological and anthropogenic drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Marta Azzolin
- Life and System Biology Department, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
- Gaia Research Institute Onlus, Torino, Italy
| | - Ilaria Campana
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Ichthyogenic Experimental Marine Center (CISMAR), Tuscia University, Tarquinia, Italy
- Accademia del Leviatano, Maccarese, Italy
| | | | - Simone Cominelli
- NorthernEDGE Lab, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Newfoundland, Canada
| | | | - Léa David
- EcoOcéan Institut, Montpellier, Francia
| | | | - Francesca Frau
- Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area, Villasimius, Italy
| | - Martina Gregorietti
- Department of Earth and Marine Science, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Clara Monaco
- Marecamp Association, Aci Castello, Italy
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | | | - Giuliana Pellegrino
- Accademia del Leviatano, Maccarese, Italy
- Marecamp Association, Aci Castello, Italy
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Merchant ND, Andersson MH, Box T, Le Courtois F, Cronin D, Holdsworth N, Kinneging N, Mendes S, Merck T, Mouat J, Norro AMJ, Ollivier B, Pinto C, Stamp P, Tougaard J. Impulsive noise pollution in the Northeast Atlantic: Reported activity during 2015-2017. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 152:110951. [PMID: 32479267 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Underwater noise pollution from impulsive sources (e.g. explosions, seismic airguns, percussive pile driving) can affect marine fauna through mortality, physical injury, auditory damage, physiological stress, acoustic masking, and behavioural responses. Given the potential for large-scale impact on marine ecosystems, some countries are now monitoring impulsive noise activity, coordinated internationally through Regional Seas Conventions. Here, we assess impulsive noise activity in the Northeast Atlantic reported during 2015-2017 to the first international impulsive noise register (INR), established in 2016 under the OSPAR Convention. Seismic airgun surveys were the dominant noise source (67%-83% of annual activity) and declined by 38% during 2015-2017. Reported pile driving activity increased 46%. Explosions and sonar/acoustic deterrent devices both had overall increases in reported activity. Some increases were attributable to more comprehensive reporting in later years. We discuss utilising the INR for risk assessment, target setting, and forward planning, and the implementation of similar systems in other regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D Merchant
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Lowestoft, UK.
| | | | - Tetrienne Box
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Aberdeen, UK
| | - Florent Le Courtois
- Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine (SHOM), Brest, France
| | - Dónal Cronin
- Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Cork, Ireland
| | - Neil Holdsworth
- International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Sónia Mendes
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Aberdeen, UK
| | - Thomas Merck
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Putbus, Germany
| | | | - Alain M J Norro
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Benjamin Ollivier
- Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine (SHOM), Brest, France
| | - Carlos Pinto
- International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), Copenhagen, Denmark
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Faulkner RC, Farcas A, Merchant ND. Guiding principles for assessing the impact of underwater noise. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Adrian Farcas
- Noise & Bioacoustics Team Cefas Lowestoft Suffolk UK
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Pichegru L, Nyengera R, McInnes AM, Pistorius P. Avoidance of seismic survey activities by penguins. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16305. [PMID: 29176687 PMCID: PMC5701127 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16569-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Seismic surveys in search for oil or gas under the seabed, produce the most intense man-made ocean noise with known impacts on invertebrates, fish and marine mammals. No evidence to date exists, however, about potential impacts on seabirds. Penguins may be expected to be particularly affected by loud underwater sounds, due to their largely aquatic existence. This study investigated the behavioural response of breeding endangered African Penguins Spheniscus demersus to seismic surveys within 100 km of their colony in South Africa, using a multi-year GPS tracking dataset. Penguins showed a strong avoidance of their preferred foraging areas during seismic activities, foraging significantly further from the survey vessel when in operation, while increasing their overall foraging effort. The birds reverted to normal behaviour when the operation ceased, although longer-term repercussions on hearing capacities cannot be precluded. The rapid industrialization of the oceans has increased levels of underwater anthropogenic noises globally, a growing concern for a wide range of taxa, now also including seabirds. African penguin numbers have decreased by 70% in the last 10 years, a strong motivation for precautionary management decisions, including the exclusion of seismic exploratory activities within at least 100 km of their breeding colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorien Pichegru
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology, Institute for Coastal and Marine Research and Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
| | - Reason Nyengera
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology, Institute for Coastal and Marine Research and Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Seabird Division, BirdLife South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Alistair M McInnes
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology, Institute for Coastal and Marine Research and Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
| | - Pierre Pistorius
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology, Institute for Coastal and Marine Research and Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
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Fossati C, Mussi B, Tizzi R, Pavan G, Pace DS. Italy introduces pre and post operation monitoring phases for offshore seismic exploration activities. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2017; 120:376-378. [PMID: 28506427 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2016] [Revised: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Concern is growing that marine fauna can be affected by noise such as naval sonar, pile driving or geophysical surveys, among others. Literature reports a variety of animal reactions to human noise (from apparently null or negligible to strong). However, conclusive results on its effects on marine mammals at individual and population level are still lacking. In 2015, the Italian Environmental Impact Assessment Commission mandated seismic operators apply a standard scientific protocol comparing marine mammal presence before, during, and after offshore seismic survey. For 60days before and after the survey, marine mammals are monitored using visual and acoustic methods. One or more acoustic autonomous recorders, depending on area size, must also be deployed throughout the three phases for continuous monitoring. Consistent data gathered from many surveys will enable robust statistical analysis of results. Diffusion of this monitoring method internationally would improve the study of far-reaching, intense, low frequency noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Fossati
- CIBRA, Department of Earth and Environment Science, Pavia University, CONISMA, Rome, Italy.
| | - B Mussi
- Oceanomare Delphis Onlus, Via Gino Marinuzzi 74, Rome, Italy
| | - R Tizzi
- Oceanomare Delphis Onlus, Via Gino Marinuzzi 74, Rome, Italy
| | - G Pavan
- CIBRA, Department of Earth and Environment Science, Pavia University, CONISMA, Rome, Italy
| | - D S Pace
- Oceanomare Delphis Onlus, Via Gino Marinuzzi 74, Rome, Italy; Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
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Forney KA, Southall BL, Slooten E, Dawson S, Read AJ, Baird RW, Brownell RL. Nowhere to go: noise impact assessments for marine mammal populations with high site fidelity. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2017. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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10
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Todd VLG. Mitigation of underwater anthropogenic noise and marine mammals: the 'death of a thousand' cuts and/or mundane adjustment? MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2016; 102:1-3. [PMID: 26795130 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.11.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria L G Todd
- Ocean Science Consulting (OSC) Ltd., Ocean House, 4 Brewery Lane, Belhaven, Dunbar, East Lothian, EH42 1PD, Scotland, UK; Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
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