Identifying priority sites for whale shark ship collision management globally

Freya C. Womersley and Christoph A. Rohner and Kátya Abrantes and Pedro Afonso and Shin Arunrugstichai and Steffen S. Bach and Shir Bar and Adi Barash and Peter Barnes and Adam Barnett and Ginevra Boldrocchi and Noemie Buffat and Tom Canon and Clara Canovas Perez and Metavee Chuangcharoendee and Jesse E.M. Cochran and Rafael de la Parra and Stella Diamant and William Driggers and Christine L. Dudgeon and Gonzalo Araujo and Bernardette mabel manjaji matsumoto (2024) Identifying priority sites for whale shark ship collision management globally. Science of the Total Environment, 934. pp. 1-14. ISSN 00489697

Text FULL TEXT.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (4MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

The expansion of the world’s merchant fleet poses a great threat to the ocean’s biodiversity. Collisions between ships and marine megafauna can have population-level consequences for vulnerable species. The Endangered whale shark (Rhincodon typus) shares a circumglobal distribution with this expanding fleet and tracking of movement pathways has shown that large vessel collisions pose a major threat to the species. However, it is not yet known whether they are also at risk within aggregation sites, where up to 400 individuals can gather to feed on seasonal bursts of planktonic productivity. These “constellation” sites are of significant ecological, socioeconomic and cultural value. Here, through expert elicitation, we gathered information from most known constellation sites for this species across the world (>50 constellations and >13,000 individual whale sharks). We defined the spatial boundaries of these sites and their overlap with shipping traffic. Sites were then ranked based on relative levels of potential collision danger posed to whale sharks in the area. Our results showed that researchers and resource managers may underestimate the threat posed by large ship collisions due to a lack of direct evidence, such as injuries or witness accounts, which are available for other, sub-lethal threat categories. We found that constellations in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waters, the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of California, and Southeast and East Asia, had the greatest level of collision threat. We also identified 39 sites where peaks in shipping activity coincided with peak seasonal occurrences of whale sharks, sometimes across several months. Simulated collision mitigation options estimated potentially minimal impact to industry, as most whale shark core habitat areas were small. Given the threat posed by vessel collisions, a coordinated, multi-national approach to mitigation is needed within priority whale shark habitats to ensure collision protection for the species.

Item Type:	Article
Keyword:	Marine megafauna Endangered species Collision threat Spatial management Socio-economic conflict
Subjects:	Q Science > QL Zoology > QL1-991 Zoology > QL605-739.8 Chordates. Vertebrates > QL614-639.8 Fishes
Department:	INSTITUTE > Borneo Marine Research Institute
Depositing User:	ABDULLAH BIN SABUDIN -
Date Deposited:	13 Feb 2025 14:22
Last Modified:	13 Feb 2025 14:22
URI:	https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/42845

Actions (login required)

View Item