A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commercial seal hunt

The Canadian seal hunt is the world's largest commercial slaughter of marine mammals and, as such, has been the subject of veterinary scrutiny for half a century. In that time, veterinary experts have made multiple recommendations to improve welfare at the seal hunt, some of which have been included in Canadian sealing regulations. Yet analysis of video material and studies on the outcomes of the hunt suggest that the potential for suffering during the hunt continues, and may, in fact, be increasing. In the past decade, numerous countries have taken action to prohibit their trade in products of commercial seal hunts in response to public concerns about the welfare of the seals. With these actions now being examined at the World Trade Organization, it is important to determine if these concerns are warranted. This paper reviews relevant veterinary science, exploring the intrinsic elements of commercial sealing and unique physical adaptations of seals that prevent effective and consistent application of humane slaughter methods at the seal hunt. The review of available data indicates that generally accepted principles of humane slaughter cannot be carried out effectively or consistently in the commercial seal hunt.     

Factors to consider in evaluating the management and conservation effectiveness of a whale sanctuary to protect and conserve the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

This paper examines key factors used in protecting the migratory North Atlantic right whale within the context of a marine protected area (MPA) system, using the Grand Manan Whale Conservation Area, in New Brunswick Canada, as a case study example. Designated as a conservation area in 1993, before the Oceans Act came into effect, the Grand Manan conservation area currently does not form part of the Canadian network of MPAs. Given the possibility that MPA designation may occur, the paper examines factors that should be considered in meeting International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) MPA design criteria and IUCN evaluation model requirements. An MPA evaluation framework based on an IUCN evaluation model (Hockings et al., 2000 [1]) is designed to assess the effectiveness of an MPA in protecting a migratory right whale. Case study results indicate that current management and research activities for the Grand Manan conservation area address most governance, biophysical and socio-economic issues under an IUCN evaluation framework. On a site basis, it is recommended that the Grand Manan conservation area be designated as a component of the Canadian network of MPAs and that regulations be developed and implemented under the Species at Risk Act to clearly define activities considered damaging or destructive to right whale critical habitat. Recommendations also suggest the preparation of a combined site management-action plan for the Grand Manan conservation area indicating how activities specified in North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Strategy will be implemented locally. On a regional and international basis, recommendations call for an internationally coordinated and integrated approach to right whale protection within the context of a network of designated critical habitat areas. Recommended activities include: continued Canadian participation in cross-border research and actions to mitigate threats to the right whales over their migratory range; development of a regional right whale management and monitoring strategy; and designation of additional critical habitats in national/international waters. It is further recommended that the evaluation framework developed by this paper be used as a model in assessing the conservation and management effectiveness of MPAs protecting other migratory marine species.     

Biological community and sediment fatty acids associated with the deep-sea whale skeleton at the Torishima Seamount

A whale skeleton was discovered on the flat-topped summit of the Torishima Seamount, 4037 m deep, northwest Pacific Ocean, during a dive by the submersibleShinkai 6500 in 1992. The skeleton was encrusted with mytilid mussels and harbored benthic animals such as galatheid crabs, echinoderms, sea anemones, and unidentifiable tube worms. The whale skeleton was revisited in 1993. Sediment samples were collected to outline the chemical-microbial distribution in the sediment associated with the skeleton. In the sediment, there was a gradient of sulfide concentration with the peak of 20 n moles per gram sediment just beneath a bone. Corresponding gradients were observed in thiosulfate-oxidizing enzyme activity, bacterial colony counts and fatty acid amounts. Direct analysis of the sediment fatty acid composition suggested the occurrence of methane-oxidizing bacteria and sulfur-reducing bacteria in close association with the whale skeleton. These observations imply that the methane and sulfides were formed during the saprogenic process and utilized for the chemosynthetic bacterial production to feed the whale skeleton-animal community.     

Cetacean research in the southern African subregion: a review of previous studies and current knowledge

Cetacean research, in terms of the number of papers, and areas for which data are available, has expanded considerably in the southern African subregion in the past decade, especially in the South-West Indian Ocean. We review cetacean research within this subregion from the 1800s to the present to provide an overview of findings, investigate trends and identify knowledge gaps. Data are presented separately for large whales (those subject to commercial whaling) and smaller cetaceans, and are separated by era and ocean basin. Over 550 peer-reviewed papers and books were identified relating to research on cetaceans within the subregion. More than half (284) have been produced since 1990 and 193 relate specifically to South African waters. The most-studied species are those that are most accessible due to their coastal distributions (southern right whale Eubalaena australis: 45 papers, humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae: 31 papers, killer whales Orcinus orca: 27 papers, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin Tursiops aduncus: 30 papers, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin Sousa chinensis (plumbea form): 25 papers) and/or were hunted commercially (sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus: 25 papers). Identified conservation concerns vary throughout the subregion, but include bycatch and directed hunts, oil and gas development, ecotourism activities, shifts in prey resources, and noise and chemical pollution. The inshore stocks of Bryde's whales Balaenoptera edeni, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and the Atlantic humpback dolphin S. teuszii were identified as the populations of highest conservation concern, although there are considerable knowledge gaps relating to deep-water species and almost no data (even on species occurrence) are available for several areas and countries.     

The economics of ending Canada's commercial harp seal hunt

The roots of the Canadian harp seal hunt can be traced to the 16th Century. But in the mid-20th century, opposition to the commercial hunt became widespread after television images of seal pups being killed with clubs on the pack ice off the coast of Newfoundland were broadcast around the world. International conservation groups, animal welfare groups, animal rights groups, and foreign governments have been calling for the Canadian government to end the commercial seal hunt on the grounds that it is inhumane and that harvest levels are unsustainable. The Canadian government defends the traditional practices of hunting harp seals, argues that seal pelts are an important source of income for sealers, and insists that the killing methods are humane and that harvest levels are sustainable. Emotions run high on both sides of the debate. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether or not there is a purely economic argument for ending Canada's commercial seal hunt. The paper finds that the benefits of ending the commercial hunt exceed the costs, but not unequivocally. However, the paper argues there should be a higher criterion—the Pareto criterion—for ending the commercial hunt; that is the hunt should end only if winners compensate the losers. The paper goes on to argue that an effective way to satisfy this criterion is to introduce a system of individual transferable quotas (ITQs) and let the market reveal the value of the commercial seal hunt. In addition to many other advantages such as improving the safety and efficiency of the hunt, the ITQ market could provide a mechanism by which those willing to pay to end the hunt could do so directly to sealers thereby ensuring that the hunt is scaled back or ultimately ended only when it is economically efficient and unambiguously welfare-improving.     

Development of best practices for scientific research vessel operations in a changing Arctic: A case study for R/V Sikuliaq

Reduced sea ice has made the Arctic Ocean more accessible for vessel traffic. In turn, the heightened interest to better understand rapidly changing sea ice dynamics, ecosystems, and related ocean processes in the Arctic Ocean has led to closer interactions with and the need to avoid potential conflicts between scientific researchers and Indigenous coastal communities. In particular, researchers need to minimize spatial and temporal overlap of science activities with subsistence hunts as the Arctic is essential to Indigenous communities for their food security and cultural heritage. In this regard, a Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedure (CECSOP) was recently developed for the R/V Sikuliaq, which is owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and is part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. The CECSOP was developed with input and guidance from Alaska Indigenous community groups, state and federal agencies, and sea-going scientists. Here the document's basic principles and procedures are described, as well as its utility in helping guide constructive discussions and interactions between scientific users of R/V Sikuliaq and subsistence hunting communities when research and subsistence hunt activities have spatial and temporal overlap. The CECSOP is a “living” document and subject to future modifications and improvements. It may serve as a model for other scientific, commercial and industrial vessel operators to ensure best practices between subsistence hunting communities and vessel operators in the Arctic.     

Long‐term presence and habitat use of Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea

Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris, G. Cuvier 1823) is a poorly known species and many international agreements have asked for a better understanding of its biology for conservation purposes. In the present study, systematic cetacean surveys were carried out from ferries along a trans‐regional fixed transect in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea (Civitavecchia, Latium – Golfo Aranci, Sardinia), just outside the southeastern border of the Pelagos Sanctuary. This research provided long‐term, consistent data on Cuvier's beaked whale during two research periods (1990–1992 and 2007–2011). The objective of the research was to compare the presence, distribution and habitat use of Cuvier's beaked whale between the two investigated periods. Summer data (June–September) from the two periods were compared in terms of frequency of sightings, group size and spatial distribution related to the main ecogeographical features. A presence‐absence model (generalized additive modelling) was performed to predict habitat suitability in the two study periods. The results highlight long‐term site fidelity of Cuvier's beaked whale in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea with encounter rates comparable to the ones reported for other key areas. Separate suitability models based on 1990s and 2000s data appeared to work for each individual time period but differences were evident between the two periods, indicating changes in habitat selection over time. Our findings of the study appear to expand the definition of suitable beaked whale habitat and underline how the temporal scale of the analysis can affect the results in habitat studies. Moreover, this research highlights the importance of the Central Tyrrhenian Sea marine region for Cuvier's beaked whale and the ability of continuous monitoring to identify changes in cetacean frequency and distribution, necessary for adaptive conservation management approaches.     

Policies governing the distribution of by-products from scientific and small-scale coastal whaling in Japan

The Japanese government is committed to resuming sustainable commercial whaling, both on the high seas and along the Japanese coastline. To this end scientific whaling programs are supported with public money and the byproducts of the catch are distributed to the public and utilized in a variety of ways. Here we review the policies which govern how these byproducts are disseminated within Japan, as well as how the population as a whole makes use of whale resources. Possibilities for the future, if and when the international moratorium on commercial whaling ends, are also discussed.     

Whale-watching in Patagonia: What regulation scheme should be implemented when the socio-ecological system is changing?

Whale-watching began informally at Península Valdés in 1973. The activity primarily targeted southern right whales (Eubalaena australis). Since the early 1970s the number of people sailing out on whale-watching trips increased from several tourists a year to more than 100,000 in 2014. In this paper the fluctuations in the number of passengers, the biological changes and the socio-economic factors that influenced the development of the activity were reviewed. There are effectively four periods in the history of the development of whale-watching in Península Valdés. These periods correspond to international events, whilst some are related to domestic matters. The development of whale-watching regulations in relation to these events is also reviewed. Although the current whale-watching regulation scheme is appropriate, there are some aspects that could be improved by making the rules easier to be altered and modified, i.e., an adaptive management approach. As a case study the regulation prohibiting watching whale mothers with newborns, before August 31st every year, is examined, including the problems that boat operators face while attempting to comply with this regulation. Many of these problems arise due changes in the biological system (i.e. whale population growth).     

The impact of implanted whale carcass on nematode communities in shallow water area of Peter the Great Bay (East Sea)

In May, 2007 we sank the remains of a Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the East Sea, Peter the Great Bay, at 30 m of water near the coast of Big Pelis Island. In the present study we describe the nematode communities in sediments under the implanted whale carcass. Abundance of nematodes increased with the distance from the carcass. Dominant trophic group was non-selective deposit feeders. The highest values of indexes of a specific diversity and evenness were noted in sediments under the whale, while domination index occurred at the highest distance from the whale. The suggestion is made that the cause of low density of nematodes in sediments under the whale is an extreme increase in number of macrofaunal animals, and predation and food competition between macro- and meiofauna. The changes noted in nematode assemblages living in an implanted whale in shallow waters are similar to those in deep-sea assemblages.     

Whale conservation : Role of the International Whaling Commission

Gross overcatching of whales in the Antarctic resulted in a series of international agreements in the 1930s designed primarily to control oil output and so to ensure a stable market. These agreements led to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, signed in 1946. The interests of the industry were paramount in setting catch quotas, so that the major stocks were seriously depleted. A more conservative approach initiated in 1965 has led to the present management policy of the IWC which is aimed at bringing all whale stocks to the levels providing the maximum sustainable long-term yields. The author analyses the issues and implications surrounding these developments.     

福建海洋兽类及其分布

通过对在福建沿海地下发掘出土的海兽骨骼，古文献比较分析研究，提出了福建省古代７种海兽分布名录；依据采集和调查到的现生海兽标本，提出了福建省１８种海兽的种类和分布。     

The global potential for whale watching

Whaling as a commercial enterprise is now defunct, not least due to the moratorium placed on it by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) almost 20 years ago. However, two distinct groups, one in favor of ‘sustainable’ whaling and one completely opposed to any killing of whales, continue to argue at the IWC and other political arenas. Almost ignored in this debate is the current growth of the whale watching industry, a logical alternative use for whale populations. Based on ecological and socio-economic criteria, the potential for whale watching is estimated for maritime countries that do not currently engage in this industry. Results suggest that whale watching could generate an additional 413 million USD (2009) in yearly revenue, supporting 5,700 jobs. Together with current global estimates, this would bring the total potential for the whale watching industry to over 2.5 billion USD in yearly revenue and about 19,000 jobs around the world. These results are discussed from an economic and conservation policy perspective, with emphasis on potential benefits and limitations.     

Distribution,seasonality, lengths,and feeding behaviour of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) observed in New Zealand waters

Data from 36 whale shark (Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828) sightings off north‐east North Island, New Zealand are summarised. Sightings were concentrated over the outer shelf and shelf break in areas influenced by the East Auckland Current at sea surface temperatures (SST) of 21–24°C. Sightings occurred from late spring to early autumn (November‐April) but were most frequent in midsummer (February) when upwelling along the north‐east shelf is weakest. The data indicate whale sharks occur off north‐east New Zealand most summers, including those when SST is colder than usual. A cluster of sightings and three observations of whale sharks feeding on schools of anchovy (Engraulis australis) near Whale Island, Bay of Plenty, suggest whale sharks may aggregate seasonally in this area. Estimated total lengths (TL) of 26 whale sharks ranged from 3.5 to 15 m, with 73% between 6 and 9 m TL.     

Eco‐physiological repercussions of dietary arachidonic acid in cell membranes of active tissues of the Gray whale

The radiation of the mammalian land species that became the baleen whales happened about 27–34 Mya. Mammals require omega 6 fatty acids for reproduction. With this long exposure to the omega 3‐rich marine food chain, the Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) might be expected to have lost its requirement for omega 6 fatty acids. We report an unexpectedly high content of omega 6 arachidonic acid (ArA) in the Gray whale liver and muscle lipids. This whale migrates 10,000 km from the cold polar, omega 3 oil‐rich food chain to that of the breeding lagoons of the tropical waters. The food web of tropical waters is a source of omega 6 fatty acids, which are hardly present in the cold polar food web. We suggest the reason for this longest of migrations from cold to warm waters is to meet the requirement for omega 6 fatty acids for mammalian reproduction and brain growth. This extreme conservation of omega 6 fatty acids in Gray whale biology has critical implications for mammalian biology and especially for whale conservation.     

Combining data from a multisensor tag and passive sonar to determine the diving behavior of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)

Reports on the diving behavior of a sperm whale tagged and tracked on September 6, 2000 during the Sirena 2000 cruise in the Ligurian Sea. A total of about 4.5 h of acoustic and nonacoustic sensor data were recorded when a sperm whale was tagged with a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution developed tag with a hydrophone, motion, and pressure sensors. The animal was simultaneously tracked with a passive sonar system deployed from the NATO research vessel NRV Alliance. By combining data from the tag and passive sonar, we were able to reconstruct a three-dimensional track of the whale, along with its orientation and vocal behavior. While it was tagged, the whale carried out three deep dives to a depth of about 900 m in an area with a bottom depth of about 2600 m. The inter-click intervals of the diving whale were not consistent with ranging on the bottom, but were consistent with the hypothesis that the whale was possibly echolocating on some target(s) near the depth at which it dove to feed. This study demonstrated an ability to track subtle changes in the behavior of diving whales. This ability is important for three areas: 1) basic research, 2) studies of the responses of these animals to controlled exposures of man-made noise, and 3) studies to infer the biological significance of behavioral disruption.     

Against the humpback whale sonar hypothesis

A rebuttal is presented to the article of L.N. Frazer and E. Mercado (ibid., vol. 25, pp. 160-182, 2000), who presented a sonar model for humpback whale song, is presented. This rebuttal considers the noise-limited form of the sonar equation, current understanding of humpback whale behavior and the characteristics of humpback whale songs, along with arguments from an evolutionary perspective. Arguments from all of these different aspects do not support the model of Frazer and Mercado     

福建沿海鲸鲨时空分布初探及保护对策

搁浅、误捕和救助记录是研究野生动物分布和获取其基本生物学数据的重要来源,尤其是对那些缺少系统性野外调查的物种。本研究收集了福建沿海2006—2019年间鲸鲨（Rhincodon typus）的搁浅、误捕和救助记录,初步探讨福建沿海鲸鲨的时空分布情况,并提出相应的保护对策。共收集福建沿海鲸鲨搁浅、误捕和救助记录30例,包括搁浅10例、误捕18例和救助2例,其中福州鲸鲨记录大部分在平潭岛附近,这可能与平潭海域上升流带来的丰富生物资源有关;所有记录中有28例（93.3%）发生在6—10月,表明夏秋季可能是鲸鲨在福建沿海活动的高峰期。此外,有体长记录的22条鲸鲨中,17条（77.3%）为幼年个体,可能是因为幼年鲸鲨偏好在高生产力的近岸海域聚集以获取充足的食物,因此也更容易搁浅或被误捕。较多的误捕记录（60.0％）提示渔业活动对鲸鲨有较大威胁。因此,建议建立全省甚至全国性的鲸鲨搁浅误捕数据库,进一步严格和规范渔业管理,改进渔具以降低误捕鲸鲨的概率,加强对公众（特别是渔民）的宣传教育,以更好地保护这一濒危物种。     

A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commercial seal hunt: A critique

In a recent article in this journal (Butterworth and Richardson. A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commercial seal hunt. Marine Policy 2013;38:457–469), the authors argued that “generally accepted principles of humane slaughter cannot be carried out effectively or consistently during the Canadian commercial seal hunt”. The present review purports to show that these authors' conclusions were incorrect because they were highly selective in their treatment of the information available and made no attempt to consider other perspectives. In addition, their reliance on anecdotal video sequences to support some of their points was seriously flawed since a vast proportion of these sequences failed to meet fundamental criteria of scientific rigor. The article by Butterworth and Richardson [5] failed to provide an unbiased presentation of the available data and therefore did not bring further clarity to the debate on the Canadian commercial seal hunt.