Southern right whales in the South-western Atlantic Ocean: proposed criteria to identify suitable areas of use in poorly known reproductive grounds

Autor(es)

Correa e Figueiredo, Giovanna ^[1] ; Cazzoli y Goya, Samara ^[2] ; de Oliveira Santos, Marcos Cesar ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Biol Conservacao Mamiferos Aquat, Inst Oceanog, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Geol Margens Continentais, Inst Oceanog, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom; v. 99, n. 5, p. 1231-1236, AUG 2019.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Urbanization and intense vessel traffic in coastal areas are obstacles for right whales when selecting breeding and calving grounds. Human activities might be the main cause for the recently observed drop in right whale sightings along the south-eastern coast of Brazil. Information concerning the biology and the activities that can potentially affect the presence of individuals along the coast are essential for management purposes, as well as for the recovery of the species stocks after a period of whaling pressure. This study correlated the occurrence of right whales in the northern limit of the breeding ground in the South-western Atlantic Ocean with local geomorphology, degree of urbanization and oceanographic features to better identify suitable areas for use by these whales. The study area was divided into 14 sub-areas based on local coastal geomorphology and discharge of large rivers. The following five ranking criteria were applied to each sub-area: presence of whaling stations and whaling activity in the past; presence and activity of ports; protection from swell, coastal slope and composition of the bottom substrate. The sub-areas that offered conditions conducive to the presence of right whales received higher scores. The proposed criteria were validated by overlapping the ranking scores with the records of right whales sighted in each sub-area. In south-eastern Brazil, protected areas with sandy bottom and gentle slope were associated with more sightings of female-calf pairs. The criteria can be used as a primary diagnostic indicating suitable sub-areas for right whales in poorly known breeding grounds. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 11/51543-9 - Ocorrência, distribuição e movimentos de cetáceos na costa do estado de São Paulo
• Beneficiário: Marcos César de Oliveira Santos
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Regular