Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Andreia Torres-Pereira, Helder Araujo, Fabio L. Matos, Jorge Bastos-Santos, Sara Sa, Marisa Ferreira, Jose Martinez-Cedeira, Alfredo Lopez, Marina Sequeira, Jose Vingada, Catarina Eira
Summary: The study reveals that the population of Iberian harbour porpoise on the coast of Portugal is small and facing potential threats from accidental fisheries capture. Although the highest estimate was recorded in 2013, the population decreased sharply in the following years. The northern area of Portugal is identified as the most suitable habitat for the porpoises. More assessments are needed to fully understand their spatial and temporal habitat use in the Iberian Peninsula, and urgent threat mitigation measures are required.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexandre N. N. Zerbini, Kimberly T. T. Goetz, Karin A. A. Forney, Charlotte Boyd
Summary: This study used distance sampling to estimate the abundance of harbor porpoises in the Southeast Alaska inland waters, and found that bycatch in the drift gillnet fishery may be unsustainable for the southern population. Monitoring the abundance and bycatch is therefore important for evaluating the potential impact of fisheries on this species in Southeast Alaska.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Laura D. Williamson, Beth E. Scott, Megan Laxton, Janine B. Illian, Victoria L. G. Todd, Peter I. Miller, Kate L. Brookes
Summary: This study compared different modeling methods for predicting the fine-scale spatial distribution of harbour porpoise and found that Hierarchical Bayesian Models offered higher certainty and finer spatial patterns, which could benefit the refinement of conservation management or mitigation measures within offshore developments or protected areas.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dimitar Popov, Galina Meshkova, Karina Vishnyakova, Julia Ivanchikova, Marian Paiu, Costin Timofte, Ayaka Amaha Ozturk, Arda M. Tonay, Ayhan Dede, Marina Panayotova, Ertug Duzgunes, Pavel Gol'din
Summary: Bycatch in fishing gear, particularly bottom gillnets and trammel nets, is causing a significant decline in the Black Sea harbour porpoise population. A study conducted from 2019 to 2021 estimated that the annual bycatch of harbour porpoises in the Black Sea ranges from 11,826 to 16,200 individuals. This poses a serious threat to the long-term survival of the population and immediate measures are needed to reduce the bycatch.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Karina Dracott, Chloe V. Robinson, Alice Brown-Dussault, Caitlin Birdsall, Lance Barrett-Lennard
Summary: Pacific Harbour Porpoise, a species listed as Special Concern under the Species At Risk Act, occupies a wide range throughout coastal waters of British Columbia. However, there is limited data on their abundance and population trends. This multi-year study used land-based visual surveys and passive acoustic monitoring to fill the data gaps and found strong seasonal and diel trends in the activity of harbour porpoise around Prince Rupert. Despite vessel-related acoustic disturbance, harbour porpoise continue to persist in this highly trafficked area, indicating its importance as a habitat for this species and a certain level of acclimatization to localized disturbance.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Guido J. Parra, Kerstin Bilgmann, Katharina J. Peters, Luciana M. Moller
Summary: Wildlife species conservation management should be based on understanding their distribution, abundance, and the impact of human activities. Common dolphins in Australia are at risk of incidental capture in commercial fisheries, with uncertain population estimates. Aerial surveys and mark-recapture methods were used to estimate the abundance of common dolphins in central South Australia in 2011, where bycatch mortality is highest. Precautionary management is recommended to protect common dolphins based on local abundance estimates.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Angus Fleetwood Henderson, Mark Andrew Hindell, Simon Wotherspoon, Martin Biuw, Mary-Anne Lea, Nat Kelly, Andrew Damon Lowther
Summary: The recovery of baleen whales in the Southern Ocean is crucial for understanding their role in the ecosystem. However, estimating their abundance using distance sampling is challenging in the remote Southern Ocean. This study explores the potential use of tourist vessel-based sampling for estimating baleen whale abundance and shows that it is a viable and cost-effective method.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kimberly A. Nielsen, James R. Robbins, Clare B. Embling
Summary: This study utilized citizen science data collected from ferries to investigate spatio-temporal patterns in harbour porpoise densities in UK waters. The highest densities were found southwest of Cornwall, followed by the North Sea and the English Channel. The North Sea experienced a substantial increase in average density over the study period, indicating new high-use areas along those routes.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
A. K. Holdman, N. Tregenza, S. M. Van Parijs, A. Deangelis
Summary: Offshore wind energy development in the east coast of the United States overlaps with harbor porpoise habitats. Data collected from 2020 to 2022 showed year-round presence of porpoises in the Gulf of Maine, with peak detections in the summer and fall. Porpoise occurrence in Southern New England was high in fall, winter, and spring, but low in the summer. Factors such as time of year, hour of day, lunar illumination, and temperature were found to significantly contribute to porpoise presence and foraging effort. Early identification of important areas, mitigation of impacts, and monitoring of changes are crucial for the protection of harbor porpoises in US waters.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Erik Blystad Solbu, Bert van der Veen, Ivar Herfindal, Knut Anders Hovstad
Summary: This paper demonstrates the use of generalized linear mixed models to study dynamic species abundance distributions, with simulations and case studies on fish and bat communities. The main finding is that species heterogeneity is the main factor influencing community similarity.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Ugur Ozsandikci, Suleyman Ozdemir
Summary: Reliable information on the abundance and distribution of cetaceans in the Sinop region was obtained through boat-based visual observations. The study found that the highest number of Black Sea harbor porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, and common dolphins were observed in the spring. These findings provide valuable insights for future conservation strategies.
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura Palmer, Douglas Gillespie, Jamie D. J. MacAulay, Carol E. Sparling, Debbie J. F. Russell, Gordon D. Hastie
Summary: The study conducted in Scotland showed that harbour porpoises exhibited significant avoidance of a tidal turbine when it was operating, with avoidance increasing with flow speed. The temporal variability in encounter rate highlighted the need for long-term baseline monitoring to understand collision risk more comprehensively. It is important to assess the generality of avoidance rates presented in this study for different sites, turbine types, array sizes, and cetacean species as the tidal industry expands, to balance the benefits of avoidance responses with potential chronic effects of displacement from important habitats.
AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Colin J. Torney, Megan Laxton, David J. Lloyd-Jones, Edward M. Kohi, Howard L. Frederick, David C. Moyer, Chediel Mrisha, Machoke Mwita, J. Grant C. Hopcraft
Summary: Statistical models are used to infer the abundance and distribution of species, but the spatial distribution of animals is influenced by many factors. Simplifying assumptions in modeling can result in poor performance and inaccurate predictions. This study explores the impact of spatial complexity on modeling the abundance of the Serengeti wildebeest and introduces a multi-latent framework to capture the clustered distribution. Results show that simplifying assumptions can impair performance, but accurate predictions can be made by using mixtures of spatial models.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Kenneth F. Kellner, Adam D. Smith, J. Andrew Royle, Marc Kery, Jerrold L. Belant, Richard B. Chandler
Summary: Species distribution models (SDMs) are commonly used to analyze species abundance and distribution, but often overlook measurement errors. The unmarked package for R addresses this issue by explicitly accounting for measurement errors in species distribution and abundance modeling. Recent advances in unmarked functionality include support for multi-species, multi-state, and multi-season data, as well as fitting models with random effects. The package is illustrated with an analysis of Acadian Flycatcher abundance over 18 years in North Carolina, USA, showing a decline in abundance in both habitats.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Jeffrey L. Laake, Bret A. Collier
Summary: This paper discusses the issue of negative bias in mark-recapture abundance estimators caused by heterogeneity in detection probability. It demonstrates how heterogeneity leads to dependence and bias in mark-recapture approaches, and proposes a method of reducing bias by introducing a known number of individuals. The study also compares the impact of heterogeneity on distance sampling and mark-resight methods.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Geert Aarts, Alexander M. von Benda-Beckmann, Klaus Lucke, H. Ozkan Sertlek, Rob van Bemmelen, Steve C. V. Geelhoed, Sophie Brasseur, Meike Scheidat, Frans-Peter A. Lam, Hans Slabbekoorn, Roger Kirkwood
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2016)
Article
Ecology
A. Gilles, S. Viquerat, E. A. Becker, K. A. Forney, S. C. V. Geelhoed, J. Haelters, J. Nabe-Nielsen, M. Scheidat, U. Siebert, S. Sveegaard, F. M. van Beest, R. van Bemmelen, G. Aarts
Article
Ecology
Geert Aarts, Alexander M. von Benda-Beckmann, Klaus Lucke, H. Ozkan Sertlek, Rob van Bemmelen, Steve C. V. Geelhoed, Sophie Brasseur, Meike Scheidat, Frans-Peter A. Lam, Hans Slabbekoorn, Roger Kirkwood
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2016)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jorge Acevedo, Anelio Aguayo-Lobo, Judith Allen, Natalia Botero-Acosta, Juan Capella, Cristina Castro, Luciano Dalla Rosa, Judith Denkinger, Fernando Felix, Lilian Florez-Gonzalez, Frank Garita, Hector M. Guzman, Ben Haase, Gregory Kaufman, Martha Llano, Carlos Olavarria, Aldo S. Pacheco, Jordi Plana, Kristin Rasmussen, Meike Scheidat, Eduardo R. Secchi, Sebastian Silva, Peter T. Stevick
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
(2017)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Philip S. Hammond, Kelly Macleod, Per Berggren, David L. Borchers, Louise Burt, Ana Canadas, Genevieve Desportes, Greg P. Donovan, Anita Gilles, Douglas Gillespie, Jonathan Gordon, Lex Hiby, Iwona Kuklik, Russell Leaper, Kristina Lehnert, Mardik Leopold, Phil Lovell, Nils Oien, Charles G. M. Paxton, Vincent Ridoux, Emer Rogan, Filipa Samarra, Meike Scheidat, Marina Sequeira, Ursula Siebert, Henrik Skov, Rene Swift, Mark L. Tasker, Jonas Teilmann, Olivier Van Canneyt, Jose Antonio Vazquez
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2013)
Letter
Biodiversity Conservation
Philip S. Hammond, Douglas Gillespie, Phil Lovell, Filipa Samarra, Rene Swift, Kelly Macleod, Mark L. Tasker, Per Berggren, David L. Borchers, Louise Burt, Charles G. M. Paxton, Ana Canadas, Genevieve Desportes, Greg P. Donovan, Anita Gilles, Kristina Lehnert, Ursula Siebert, Jonathan Gordon, Russell Leaper, Mardik Leopold, Meike Scheidat, Nils Oien, Vincent Ridoux, Emer Rogan, Henrik Skov, Jonas Teilmann, Olivier Van Canneyt, Jose Antonio Vazquez
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2014)
Article
Ecology
David Warton, Geert Aarts
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2013)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
R. Williams, N. Kelly, O. Boebel, A. S. Friedlaender, H. Herr, K. -H. Kock, L. S. Lehnert, T. Maksym, J. Roberts, M. Scheidat, U. Siebert, A. S. Brierley
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2014)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patricia Breen, Ana Canadas, Oliver O. Cadhla, Mick Mackey, Meike Scheidat, Steve C. V. Geelhoed, Emer Rogan, Mark Jessopp
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2017)
Article
Ecology
Helena Herr, Natalie Kelly, Boris Dorschel, Marcus Huntemann, Karl-Hermann Kock, Linn Sophia Lehnert, Ursula Siebert, Sacha Viquerat, Rob Williams, Meike Scheidat
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2019)
Article
Oceanography
C. G. van der Boog, M. F. de Jong, M. Scheidat, M. F. Leopold, S. C. Geelhoed, K. Schulz, H. A. Dijkstra, J. D. Pietrzak, C. A. Katsman
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
C. Lambert, M. Authier, G. Doremus, A. Gilles, P. Hammond, S. Laran, A. Ricart, V Ridoux, M. Scheidat, J. Spitz, O. Van Canneyt
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Achmad Sahri, Putu Liza Kusuma Mustika, Purwanto Purwanto, Albertinka J. Murk, Meike Scheidat
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Pathology
Lonneke L. IJsseldijk, Meike Scheidat, Marije L. Siemensma, Bram Couperus, Mardik F. Leopold, Maria Morell, Andrea Grone, Marja J. L. Kik
Summary: Bycatch is a significant threat to cetaceans worldwide, with bottom-set gillnets posing a specific risk to harbor porpoises. Methods to assess bycatch rates include on-board observers, electronic monitoring, and fishermen reporting, but systematic approaches are lacking. Necropsies of stranded animals provide insights into bycatch occurrence and health status, but uncertainties remain due to the absence of specific diagnostic tools for underwater entrapment.
VETERINARY PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Mardik F. Leopold, Steve C. Geelhoed, Meike Scheidat, Jenny Cremer, Adolphe O. Debrot, Ruud van Halewijn
MARINE ORNITHOLOGY
(2019)