School of the Environment, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Feb;199:115986. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115986. Epub 2024 Jan 18.
With the substantial increase in many large whale populations, paired with the rise in global shipping and recreational vessel activity, it is not surprising that negative interactions between whales and vessels are increasing. Here, the collision risk between migrating groups of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and vessels was assessed by determining if changes in their movement trajectories in response to an oncoming vessel translated to vessel avoidance. It was assumed groups would implement an escape response strategy, using cues such as the vessel speed, trajectory, proximity, and received level of noise to inform their response magnitude. However, many groups were unresponsive to an approaching vessel such that the vessel had to take evasive action. This study shows that humpback whales are not likely to take sufficient avoidance action when there is a potential for a vessel and whale to collide. Therefore, when developing a risk management strategy, mitigation measures that reduce the encounter rate between whales and vessels are likely to be the most effective.
随着许多大型鲸鱼种群数量的大幅增加，加上全球航运和休闲船只活动的增加，鲸鱼和船只之间的负面相互作用增加并不奇怪。在这里，通过确定迁移的座头鲸（Megaptera novaeangliae）群体对迎面而来的船只的运动轨迹变化是否转化为船只避让，来评估它们之间的碰撞风险。假设群体将使用船只速度、轨迹、接近度和接收到的噪声水平等线索来实施逃避反应策略，以告知其反应幅度。然而，许多群体对接近的船只没有反应，以至于船只不得不采取规避行动。本研究表明，当船只和鲸鱼有可能碰撞时，座头鲸不太可能采取足够的避让行动。因此，在制定风险管理策略时，减少鲸鱼和船只相遇率的缓解措施可能是最有效的。
