dc.contributor.author |
Corkeron, Peter
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Hamilton, Philip
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Bannister, John
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Best, Peter B.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Charlton, Claire
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Groch, Karina R.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Findlay, Kenneth Pierce
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Rowntree, Victoria
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Vermeulen, Els
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Pace III, Richard M.
|
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2019-07-04T12:56:36Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2019-07-04T12:56:36Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2018 |
|
dc.description.abstract |
North Atlantic right whales (NARW), Eubalaena glacialis, were
nearly exterminated by historical whaling. Their abundance
slowly increased up until 2010, to a maximum of fewer than
500 whales, and since then they have been in decline. We
assessed the extent to which the relatively slow increase
demonstrated by NARW was intrinsic, and how much could
be due to anthropogenic impacts. In order to do so, we first
compared calf counts of three populations of Southern right
whales (SRW), E. australis, with that of NARW, over the
period 1992–2016. By this index, the annual rate of increase
of NARW was approximately one-third of that of SRW. Next
we constructed a population projection model for female
NARW, using the highest annual survival estimates available
from recent mark–resight analysis, and assuming a four-year
calving interval. The model results indicated an intrinsic rate
of increase of 4% per year, approximately twice that
observed, and that adult female mortality is the main factor influencing this rate. Necropsy records demonstrate that anthropogenic mortality is the primary cause
of known mortality of NARW. Anthropogenic mortality and morbidity has limited the recovery of
NARW, and baseline conditions prior to their recent decline were already jeopardizing NARW
recovery. |
en_ZA |
dc.description.department |
Mammal Research Institute |
en_ZA |
dc.description.department |
Zoology and Entomology |
en_ZA |
dc.description.librarian |
am2019 |
en_ZA |
dc.description.sponsorship |
The North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog is maintained with support from ongoing contracts from NOAA
Fisheries. J.B. has been funded since at least 1993 by various Australian Government Environment Agencies, since
2015 the National Environment Marine Sciences Program, Marine Diversity Hub. K.F. thanks the Island Foundation
for support during the collection of the South African aerial survey data between 2012 and 2015. Various
institutions funded the South African aerial surveys over the data collection period, including Moby Dick Rum,
Exclusive Trust, the Island Foundation, the National Research Foundation, members of the Offshore Petroleum
Association of South Africa and the International Whaling Commission. The Brazilian Right Whale Catalog have
been supported by several companies through funding to Projeto Baleia Franca, in particular PETROBRAS
Brazilian Oil Company and Santos Brasil Company. V.R. thanks the many individuals and non-profit organizations
who funded the 47 years of aerial surveys of the Argentine right whales, in particular Sarah Haney for her support
in many of our lean years. V.R.’s research permits were issued annually by the Direccio´n de Fauna y Flora Silvestre
and the Subsecretarı´a de Turismo y A ´ reas Protegidas of Chubut Province, Argentina. |
en_ZA |
dc.description.uri |
http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.citation |
Corkeron, P., Hamilton, P., Bannister, J. et al. 2018 The
recovery of North Atlantic right whales, Eubalaena
glacialis, has been constrained by human-caused
mortality. Royal Society Open Science 5: 180892.
http://dx.DOI.org/ 10.1098/rsos.180892. |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.issn |
2054-5703 (online) |
|
dc.identifier.other |
10.1098/rsos.180892 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70370 |
|
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_ZA |
dc.publisher |
Royal Society Publishing |
en_ZA |
dc.rights |
© 2018 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Population projection model |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Whale conservation |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Entanglement mortality |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Geographical comparison |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) |
en_ZA |
dc.title |
The recovery of North Atlantic right whales, Eubalaena glacialis, has been constrained by human-caused mortality |
en_ZA |
dc.type |
Article |
en_ZA |