Scientists identify areas of high marine mammal diversity

Date:
March 4, 2022
Source:
New England Aquarium
Summary:
Sightings of more than 1 million marine mammals in the federally
protected Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
and sites along the Atlantic Coast have been used to identify areas
of high marine mammal diversity. These findings underscore the
importance of ocean conservation as these waters face increasing
impacts from human activities.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Sightings of more than 1 million marine mammals in the federally protected Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument and sites along
the Atlantic Coast have been used to identify areas of high marine mammal diversity. These findings underscore the importance of ocean conservation
as these waters face increasing impacts from human activities.


==========================================================================
In a new study published in Conservation Science and Practice, New
England Aquarium scientists reviewed marine mammal sightings to gain
a better understanding of habitat use along the U.S. East Coast. The
research team used North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium data from
aerial and boat surveys conducted by 49 organizations between 1979 and
2020 to calculate marine mammal species diversity in the North Atlantic
Ocean between Florida and Nova Scotia, Canada. The data set contained
189,175 sightings of more than 1 million animals from 30 unique species
or species groupings.

High species diversity occurred more frequently in the northern part of
the Atlantic Coast, particularly around the Monument, on the edge of
the continental shelf, and across the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank,
they found.

"It was very exciting to see these results," said Brooke C. Hodge,
the study's lead author and Associate Scientist in the Spatial Ecology, Mapping, and Assessment (EcoMap) Program for the Anderson Cabot Center
for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium.. "Our research shows us
that the Monument is diverse compared to the East Coast. It is clearly well-sited and protects a unique and diverse marine mammal community."
Last October, the Biden-Harris Administration reinstated the Monument's
federal protection status, which had been removed by the previous administration. The nearly 5,000-square mile underwater sanctuary is
located 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod and is home to vibrant deep-sea ecosystems that include coral reefs, fish, and endangered whales. In 2016, Aquarium scientists provided strong scientific evidence that helped the Monument's initial designation under President Obama. In 2021, Aquarium scientists explored the consequences of removing protections from the
Monument and demonstrated that opening the Monument to fishing increased
the risk of entanglement, bycatch, and habitat destruction for species
from the sea surface to sea floor.

In this study, scientists found that species diversity was highest
in the northern and mid-Atlantic regions with steep continental shelf
edges. Canyons and areas with high salinity and low temperatures also
had a high diversity of marine mammals. "Well designed and effectively
managed marine protected areas can lead to conservation success," Hodge
said. In the study, the authors wrote: "Our analyses contribute to
efforts to designate MPAs (marine protected areas) to conserve habitat
that is important for protecting species by identifying drivers of
biodiversity and potential sites for protecting 30 percent of the plant
by 2030." The Biden-Harris Administration aims to protect 30 percent of
federal U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

"Identifying MPAs in our study area is critical because U.S. East Coast
waters face intensive human use from fishing, shipping, planned wind
energy development, and features that support marine mammal foraging
are subject to specific threats," researchers wrote in the study. "The
Gulf of Maine is one of the most rapidly warming marine ecosystems
in the world, and evidence of changes in productivity have already
been observed. Designating MPAs and establishing effective management
measures to meet the goal of protecting areas of particular importance to biodiversity are needed to protect marine mammals and the ecosystems on
which they depend." However, the authors acknowledge that further research
is needed to more fully characterize marine mammal species diversity
in these areas and to assess the biodiversity of the full wildlife
community and the habitat, such as seabirds, deep-self invertebrates,
deep-sea corals, sponges, and fish.

The study's coauthors include several New England Aquarium scientists:
Daniel E. Pendleton, Research Scientist; Laura C. Ganley, Postdoctoral Associate Research Scientist; Orfhlaith "Orla" O'Brien, Associate
Scientist; Scott D.

Kraus, Emeritus Scientist; and Jessica V. Redfern, Senior Scientist and
Chair of the Spatial Ecology, Mapping, and Assessment Program. Ester Quintana-Rizzo of Simmons University also contributed to the research.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by New_England_Aquarium. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Brooke C. Hodge, Daniel E. Pendleton, Laura C. Ganley, Orfhlaith
O'Brien,
Scott D. Kraus, Ester Quintana‐Rizzo, Jessica V. Redfern.

Identifying predictors of species diversity to guide designation
of marine protected areas. Conservation Science and Practice,
2022; DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12665 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220304182952.htm

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