Modeling the effect of boat traffic on the fluctuation of humpback whale singing activity in the Abrolhos National Marine Park, Brazil
Keywords:
Aquaculture, Computer networks, Environmental protection, Fisheries, Mathematical models, Parks, Poisson distribution, Quadratic programming, Societies and institutions, Marine parks, National parks, Quadratic functionsAbstract
Since the moratorium on whaling, the Brazilian government and local Non-Govermental Organizations (NGOs) have adopted and encouraged a more sustainable use of whales as tourist attractions. Nevertheless, concerns about boat traffic impacts on whale population health have arisen, especially in protected areas such as marine parks. The Abrolhos Marine National Park is the seasonal habitat for the breeding population of humpback whales in the Western South Atlantic. We acoustically monitored 7% of the park area during 26 days using marine autonomous recording units and evaluated the responses of whales to boat traffic by measuring changes in male singing activity. The recorded humpback whale songs were analyzed to locate and count individual singers. We modeled the fluctuation in the number of singers over time in response to: number of acoustic boat events, tide height, lunar phase, hour of the day, the quadratic function of hour of day, day of the season, and presence of light. Generalized linear models were used to fit the singer count data into a Poisson distribution and log link. We found an important negative effect of boat traffic on singing activity. There is evidence that the interaction between phases of the moon and the quadratic function of hour of day also affect singing behavior. Adaptive management should aim at reducing the number of noise events per boat, which can improve the whale watching experience and reduce the impact on male singing behavior.
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Author Licensing Addendum
This Licensing Addendum ("Addendum") is entered into between the undersigned Author(s) and Canadian Acoustics journal published by the Canadian Acoustical Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Publisher"). The Author(s) and the Publisher agree as follows:
-
Retained Rights: The Author(s) retain(s) the following rights:
- The right to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display the Work on the Author's personal website or the website of the Author's institution.
- The right to use the Work in the Author's teaching activities and presentations.
- The right to include the Work in a compilation for the Author's personal use, not for sale.
-
Grant of License: The Author(s) grant(s) to the Publisher a worldwide exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and display the Work in Canadian Acoustics and any other formats and media deemed appropriate by the Publisher.
-
Attribution: The Publisher agrees to include proper attribution to the Author(s) in all publications and reproductions of the Work.
-
No Conflict: This Addendum is intended to be in harmony with, and not in conflict with, the terms and conditions of the original agreement entered into between the Author(s) and the Publisher.
-
Copyright Clause: Copyright on articles is held by the Author(s). The corresponding Author has the right to grant on behalf of all Authors and does grant on behalf of all Authors, a worldwide exclusive license to the Publisher and its licensees in perpetuity, in all forms, formats, and media (whether known now or created in the future), including but not limited to the rights to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, store, translate, create adaptations, reprints, include within collections, and create summaries, extracts, and/or abstracts of the Contribution.
