Recreational boating as a potential stressor of coastal striped dolphins in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.

Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is the most abundant cetacean species in the western Mediterranean Sea. Coastal populations are locally exposed to intense recreational boating, a growing activity over the last thirty years. Dedicated boat surveys carried out since 1988 (13,896 km of effort), enabled to map relative abundance for two periods, 1988-2003 and 2004-2019, which evidenced a significant decrease of habitat use in the inshore part of study area. Coastal traffic was surveyed from a shore lookout located in Cap d'Antibes (French Riviera) during 47 daily sessions from May 2017 to April 2018: traffic flow often exceeded one boat per minute in summer, with a majority of motorboats. Underwater recordings showed that inshore noise was about 10 dB higher than in the open sea, with much energy being propagated by fast boats, including in the medium to high frequency domain. Ambient noise data collected during spring 2020 lockdown evidenced a clear noise level decrease compared to normal situations. Although other stressors may not be neglected, this study suggested that intense motorboat traffic is a likely contributor to the observed striped dolphin partial habitat loss.

Dolphin whistles can be useful tools in identifying units of conservation.

BACKGROUND: Prioritizing groupings of organisms or 'units' below the species level is a critical issue for conservation purposes. Several techniques encompassing different time-frames, from genetics to ecological markers, have been considered to evaluate existing biological diversity at a sufficient temporal resolution to define conservation units. Given that acoustic signals are expressions of phenotypic diversity, their analysis may provide crucial information on current differentiation patterns within species. Here, we tested whether differences previously delineated within dolphin species based on i) geographic isolation, ii) genetics regardless isolation, and iii) habitat, regardless isolation and genetics, can be detected through acoustic monitoring. Recordings collected from 104 acoustic encounters of Stenella coeruleoalba, Delphinus delphis and Tursiops truncatus in the Azores, Canary Islands, the Alboran Sea and the Western Mediterranean basin between 1996 and 2012 were analyzed. The acoustic structure of communication signals was evaluated by analyzing parameters of whistles in relation to the known genetic and habitat-driven population structure. RESULTS: Recordings from the Atlantic and Mediterranean were accurately assigned to their respective basins of origin through Discriminant Function Analysis, with a minimum 83.8% and a maximum 93.8% classification rate. A parallel pattern between divergence in acoustic features and in the genetic and ecological traits within the basins was highlighted through Random Forest analysis. Although it is not yet possible to establish a causal link between each driver and acoustic differences between basins, we showed that signal variation reflects fine-scale diversity and may be used as a proxy for recognizing discrete units. CONCLUSION: We recommend that acoustic analysis be included in assessments of delphinid population structure, together with genetics and ecological tracer analysis. This cost-efficient non-invasive method can be applied to uncover distinctiveness and local adaptation in other wide-ranging marine species.

Whales in warming water: Assessing breeding habitat diversity and adaptability in Oceania's changing climate.

In the context of a changing climate, understanding the environmental drivers of marine megafauna distribution is important for conservation success. The extent of humpback whale breeding habitats and the impact of temperature variation on their availability are both unknown. We used 19 years of dedicated survey data from seven countries and territories of Oceania (1,376 survey days), to investigate humpback whale breeding habitat diversity and adaptability to climate change. At a fine scale (1 km resolution), seabed topography was identified as an important influence on humpback whale distribution. The shallowest waters close to shore or in lagoons were favored, although humpback whales also showed flexible habitat use patterns with respect to shallow offshore features such as seamounts. At a coarse scale (1° resolution), humpback whale breeding habitats in Oceania spanned a thermal range of 22.3-27.8°C in August, with interannual variation up to 2.0°C. Within this range, both fine and coarse scale analyses of humpback whale distribution suggested local responses to temperature. Notably, the most detailed dataset was available from New Caledonia (774 survey days, 1996-2017), where encounter rates showed a negative relationship to sea surface temperature, but were not related to the El Niño Southern Oscillation or the Antarctic Oscillation from previous summer, a proxy for feeding conditions that may impact breeding patterns. Many breeding sites that are currently occupied are predicted to become unsuitably warm for this species (>28°C) by the end of the 21st century. Based on modeled ecological relationships, there are suitable habitats for relocation in archipelagos and seamounts of southern Oceania. Although distribution shifts might be restrained by philopatry, the apparent plasticity of humpback whale habitat use patterns and the extent of suitable habitats support an adaptive capacity to ocean warming in Oceania breeding grounds.

Combining whistle acoustic parameters to discriminate Mediterranean odontocetes during passive acoustic monitoring.

Acoustic observation can complement visual observation to more effectively monitor occurrence and distribution of marine mammals. For effective acoustic censuses, calibration methods must be determined by joint visual and acoustic studies. Research is still needed in the field of acoustic species identification, particularly for smaller odontocetes. From 1994 to 2012, whistles of four odontocete species were recorded in different areas of the Mediterranean Sea to determine how reliably these vocalizations can be classified to species. Recordings were attributed to species by simultaneous visual observation. The results of this study highlight that the frequency parameters, which are linked to physical features of animals, show lower variability than modulation parameters, which are likely to be more dependent on complex eco-ethological contexts. For all the studied species, minimum and maximum frequencies were linearly correlated with body size. DFA and Classification Tree Analysis (CART) show that these parameters were the most important for classifying species; however, both statistical methods highlighted the need for combining them with the number of contour minima and contour maxima for correct classification. Generally, DFA and CART results reflected both phylogenetic distance (especially for common and striped dolphins) and the size of the species.

Geographic variation of whistles of the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) within the Mediterranean Sea.

The striped dolphin is a cosmopolitan species distributed worldwide. Morphological and genetic studies strongly suggest that the Mediterranean and eastern North Atlantic populations are isolated from each other. The Mediterranean population is considered a distinct conservation unit by International Union for the Conservation of Nature experts, classified as "vulnerable." This study describes the geographical variation of the striped dolphin whistles within the Mediterranean Sea. Recordings were collected from 1996 to 2003 throughout the basin, employing multiple platforms. Thirty-seven independent sightings with acoustic data collection were made, and 599 whistles were extracted and considered for statistical analysis. Whistle analysis enabled the identification of sub-populations of striped dolphins within the Mediterranean Sea. The acoustic diversity observed reflects the genetic differences recently found among striped dolphins inhabiting different Mediterranean regions. The results of this study support the hypothesis that gene flow reduction plays an important role in determining variation in whistle duration and frequency parameters, while ecological and social factors influence parameters of the modulation domains. The ability to acoustically identify distinct geographic sub-populations could provide a useful tool for the management of this protected species.

Geographic variability in the acoustic parameters of striped dolphin's (Stenella coeruleoalba) whistles.

Geographic variation in the acoustic features of whistles emitted by the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the Atlantic Ocean (Azores and Canary Islands) and the Mediterranean was investigated. Ten parameters (signal duration, beginning, end, minimum and maximum frequency, the number of inflection points, of steps, of minima and maxima in the contour and the frequency range) were extracted from each whistle. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 73% of sounds between Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. A cline in parameters was apparent from the Azores to the Mediterranean, with a major difference between the Canaries and the Mediterranean than between Azores and Canaries. Signal duration, maximum frequency, and frequency range measured in the Mediterranean sample were significantly lower compared to those measured in the Atlantic. Modulation parameters played a considerable role in area discrimination and were the only parameters contributing to highlight the differences within the Atlantic Ocean. Results suggest that the acoustic features constrained by structural phenotype, such as whistle's frequency parameters, have a major effect on the Atlantic and Mediterranean separation while behavioral context, social, and physical environment may be among the main factors contributing to local distinctiveness of Atlantic areas. These results have potential passive acoustic monitoring applications.

Using existing data and focused surveys to highlight Cuvier's beaked whales favourable areas: a case study in the central Tyrrhenian Sea.

This study focuses on the necessary elements to implement strategic mitigation in order to avoid Cuvier's beaked whale (CBW) strandings linked to intense sound sources, such as military active sonars, in the Mediterranean Sea. A careful review of stranding data and the analysis of existing survey results are required to highlight the main characters of the species regional distribution. Focused and repeated surveys are needed to confirm that possible favourable areas, such as the Balearic, Tyrrhenian or Aegean Seas, are really favourable CBW habitats. These surveys should be carried out with sea states 0 to 1 in order to minimize the risk of false absence data. Among the regions of interest, the central Tyrrhenian Sea was surveyed with a 12 m sailboat in 2007 and 2008. With 907 km of effective effort, a mean sighting rate of 1.9 CBW school/100 km was obtained, which is amongst the highest densities recorded in the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean fin whales at risk from fatal ship strikes.

This paper reviews and analyzes ship collision records for the relatively isolated population of fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea from 1972 to 2001. Out of 287 carcasses, 46 individuals (16.0%) were certainly killed by boats. The minimum mean annual fatal collision rate increased from 1 to 1.7 whales/year from the 1970s to the 1990s. Fatal strike events (82.2%) were reported in or adjacent to the Pelagos Sanctuary, characterized by high levels of traffic and whale concentrations. Among 383 photo-identified whales, 9 (2.4%) had marks that were attributed to a ship impact. The reported rates are unusually high for baleen whales. The high likelihood of unreported fatal strikes combined with other anthropogenic threats suggests an urgent need for a comprehensive, basin-wide conservation strategy, including ship strike mitigation requirements, like real-time monitoring of whale presence and distribution to re-locate ferry routes to areas of lower cetacean density, and reducing ship speed in high cetacean density areas.