Areas of spatial overlap between common bottlenose dolphin, recreational boating, and small-scale fishery: management insights from modelling exercises
Background Sustainable management requires spatial mapping of both species distribution and human activities to identify potential risk of conflict. The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a priority species of the European Union Habitat Directive, thus, to promote its conservation, th...
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| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2023-09-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/16111.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797420179877003264 |
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| author | Gabriella La Manna Fabio Ronchetti Francesco Perretti Giulia Ceccherelli |
| author_facet | Gabriella La Manna Fabio Ronchetti Francesco Perretti Giulia Ceccherelli |
| author_sort | Gabriella La Manna |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Sustainable management requires spatial mapping of both species distribution and human activities to identify potential risk of conflict. The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a priority species of the European Union Habitat Directive, thus, to promote its conservation, the understanding of habitat use and distribution, as well as the identification and spatial trend of the human activities which may directly affect populations traits, is pivotal. Methods A MaxEnt modeling approach was applied to predict the seasonal (from April to September) habitat use of a small population of bottlenose dolphins in the north-western Sardinia (Mediterranean Sea) in relation to environmental variables and the likelihoods of boat and fishing net presence. Then, the overlapping areas between dolphin, fishing net and boat presence were identified to provide insights for the marine spatial management of this area. Results Three of the main factors influencing the seasonal distribution of bottlenose dolphins in the area are directly (boating and fishing) or indirectly (ocean warming) related to human activities. Furthermore, almost half of the most suitable area for dolphins overlapped with areas used by fishing and boating. Finally, relying on fishing distribution models, we also shed light on the potential impact of fishing on the Posidonia oceanica beds, a protected habitat, which received higher fishing efforts than other habitat types. Discussion Modelling the spatial patterns of anthropogenic activities was fundamental to understand the ecological impacts both on cetacean habitat use and protected habitats. A greater research effort is suggested to detect potential changes in dolphin habitat suitability, also in relation to ocean warming, to assess dolphin bycatch and the status of target fish species, and to evaluate sensitive habitats conditions, such as the Posidonia oceanica meadow. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:57:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d4e466aa2034b978634c1459d4d242b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:57:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d4e466aa2034b978634c1459d4d242b2023-12-03T09:59:47ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592023-09-0111e1611110.7717/peerj.16111Areas of spatial overlap between common bottlenose dolphin, recreational boating, and small-scale fishery: management insights from modelling exercisesGabriella La Manna0Fabio Ronchetti1Francesco Perretti2Giulia Ceccherelli3University of Sassari, Sassari, ItalyEnvironmental Research and Conservation, MareTerra Onlus, Alghero, ItalyEnvironmental Research and Conservation, MareTerra Onlus, Alghero, ItalyUniversity of Sassari, Sassari, ItalyBackground Sustainable management requires spatial mapping of both species distribution and human activities to identify potential risk of conflict. The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a priority species of the European Union Habitat Directive, thus, to promote its conservation, the understanding of habitat use and distribution, as well as the identification and spatial trend of the human activities which may directly affect populations traits, is pivotal. Methods A MaxEnt modeling approach was applied to predict the seasonal (from April to September) habitat use of a small population of bottlenose dolphins in the north-western Sardinia (Mediterranean Sea) in relation to environmental variables and the likelihoods of boat and fishing net presence. Then, the overlapping areas between dolphin, fishing net and boat presence were identified to provide insights for the marine spatial management of this area. Results Three of the main factors influencing the seasonal distribution of bottlenose dolphins in the area are directly (boating and fishing) or indirectly (ocean warming) related to human activities. Furthermore, almost half of the most suitable area for dolphins overlapped with areas used by fishing and boating. Finally, relying on fishing distribution models, we also shed light on the potential impact of fishing on the Posidonia oceanica beds, a protected habitat, which received higher fishing efforts than other habitat types. Discussion Modelling the spatial patterns of anthropogenic activities was fundamental to understand the ecological impacts both on cetacean habitat use and protected habitats. A greater research effort is suggested to detect potential changes in dolphin habitat suitability, also in relation to ocean warming, to assess dolphin bycatch and the status of target fish species, and to evaluate sensitive habitats conditions, such as the Posidonia oceanica meadow.https://peerj.com/articles/16111.pdfTursiops truncatusHabitat useFishing activitiesBoat traffic |
| spellingShingle | Gabriella La Manna Fabio Ronchetti Francesco Perretti Giulia Ceccherelli Areas of spatial overlap between common bottlenose dolphin, recreational boating, and small-scale fishery: management insights from modelling exercises PeerJ Tursiops truncatus Habitat use Fishing activities Boat traffic |
| title | Areas of spatial overlap between common bottlenose dolphin, recreational boating, and small-scale fishery: management insights from modelling exercises |
| title_full | Areas of spatial overlap between common bottlenose dolphin, recreational boating, and small-scale fishery: management insights from modelling exercises |
| title_fullStr | Areas of spatial overlap between common bottlenose dolphin, recreational boating, and small-scale fishery: management insights from modelling exercises |
| title_full_unstemmed | Areas of spatial overlap between common bottlenose dolphin, recreational boating, and small-scale fishery: management insights from modelling exercises |
| title_short | Areas of spatial overlap between common bottlenose dolphin, recreational boating, and small-scale fishery: management insights from modelling exercises |
| title_sort | areas of spatial overlap between common bottlenose dolphin recreational boating and small scale fishery management insights from modelling exercises |
| topic | Tursiops truncatus Habitat use Fishing activities Boat traffic |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/16111.pdf |
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