Evaluation of North Atlantic Right Whale Surveillance Coverage & Intensity in Atlantic Canada

Surveillance efforts of cetaceans in Canada follow systematic line transect survey designs. These surveys are designed to minimize variance between surveys to aid in abundance and distribution estimates of whales in Canadian waters. Following the shift of North Atlantic right whales (NARW) into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the introduction of fisheries and vessel management measures to mitigate injuries and mortalities to NARW, the objectives of the Government of Canada’s aerial surveillance program changed. Since 2017, surveillance activity has included surveillance for distribution and abundance estimates, as well as for dynamic management implementation. However, the line transect and stratification of habitats has not been updated to reflect this change in objectives, thus there continues to be interannual variability and gaps in our coverage for NARW protection. This project aims to quantify this variation and determine gaps in surveillance coverage to make recommendations that could improve management measure effectiveness. This work contributes to the Canada Wildlife Federation’s (CWF) ongoing work to quantify management measures and estimate whale occurrence throughout Atlantic Canada. CWF conducts science to support wildlife protection and for advocacy work, with the goal to promote the sustainable use of the oceans while protecting marine species.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ramon Filgueira

Student:

Partner:

Canadian Wildlife Federation

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture; Other services (except public administration); Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: