Document of dataset 4841

Dataset record

Type
Dataset
title in English
SCANS II cetacean sightings from aerial surveys 2005
Description in English
Shipboard transects covered 19,725 km in sea conditions 6Beaufort 4 in an area of 1,005,743 km2. Aerial transects covered 15,802 km in good/moderate conditions (6Beaufort 3) in an area of 364,371 km2. Thirteen cetacean species were recorded; abundance was estimated for harbour porpoise (375,358; CV = 0.197), bottlenose dolphin (16,485; CV = 0.422), white-beaked dolphin (16,536; CV = 0.303), short-beaked common dolphin (56,221; CV = 0.234) and minke whale (18,958; CV = 0.347). Abundance in 2005 was similar to that estimated in July 1994 for harbour porpoise, white-beaked dolphin and minke whale in a comparable area. However, model-based density surfaces showed a marked difference in harbour porpoise distribution between 1994 and 2005. Our results allow EU Member States to discharge their responsibilities under the Habitats Directive and inform other international organisations concerning the assessment of conservation status of cetaceans and the impact of bycatch at a large spatial scale. The lack of evidence for a change in harbour porpoise abundance in EU waters as a whole does not exclude the possibility of an impact of bycatch in some areas. Monitoring bycatch and estimation of abundance continue to be essential. Supplemental infomation: Data from three teams aboard different airplanes were merged. Teams are flagged 'A', 'B' and 'C' in 'computer' attribute.
Abstract in English
The European Union (EU) Habitats Directive requires Member States to monitor and maintain at favourable conservation status those species identified to be in need of protection, including all cetaceans. In July 2005 we surveyed the entire EU Atlantic continental shelf to generate robust estimates of abundance for harbour porpoise and other cetacean species. The survey used line transect sampling methods and purpose built data collection equipment designed to minimise bias in estimates of abundance.
License
https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-NC-4.0.html
bibliographicCitation
Hammond, P.S., Macleod, K., Berggren, P., Borchers, D.L., Burt, L., Cañadas, A., Desportes, G., Donovan, G.P., Gilles, A., Gillespie, D., et al. 2013. Cetacean abundance and distribution in European Atlantic shelf waters to inform conservation and management. Biological Conservation. 164, 107–122

Temporal coverage

Temporal
Start date
2005-06-27
End date
2005-08-04

Geographical coverage

Spatial
ANE, Europe, European Continental Shelf

Thesaurus terms

Keyword
Aerial surveys

Themes

theme
Biology > Mammals

Taxonomic terms

Taxon keywords
Cetacea

Ownerships

creator
Philip Hammond
creator
Sea Mammal Research Unit
contactPoint
Claire Lacey
contactPoint
Sea Mammal Research Unit

Publication references

related reference
Based on this dataset /id/publication/241480

Dataset references

record
European Ocean Biodiversity Information System
record
Spatial Ecological Analysis of Megavertebrate Populations

Special collections

part of special collection
available through EurOBIS
EMODNET

Document metadata

date created
2015-03-23
date modified
2022-08-01