Developing a Precautionary Management Approach for the Eastern Canada-West Greenland Population of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus)
Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus L., 1758) of the Eastern Canada-West Greenland population have been hunted by Inuit for millennia. Significant commercial harvests, conducted by European and American whalers for about 400 years, ended ca. 1915. A small co-managed subsistence harvest from this popu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.709989/full |
| _version_ | 1819115769670139904 |
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| author | Steven H. Ferguson Jeff W. Higdon Patricia A. Hall Rikke Guldborg Hansen Thomas Doniol-Valcroze |
| author_facet | Steven H. Ferguson Jeff W. Higdon Patricia A. Hall Rikke Guldborg Hansen Thomas Doniol-Valcroze |
| author_sort | Steven H. Ferguson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus L., 1758) of the Eastern Canada-West Greenland population have been hunted by Inuit for millennia. Significant commercial harvests, conducted by European and American whalers for about 400 years, ended ca. 1915. A small co-managed subsistence harvest from this population has occurred inconsistently in Canada and Greenland, since 1996 and 2009, respectively. Since near extirpation from commercial whaling, population size has increased and the Inuit subsistence hunt now requires a harvest management framework that incorporates knowledge of abundance trends, population dynamics, and carrying capacity. Here, we use a model estimate of pre-commercial exploitation abundance to approximate carrying capacity and develop a management framework with reference points and corresponding stock status zones. When applied to recent abundance estimates, our framework indicates that the population is likely within the healthy (N50–N70) zone. Thus, an appropriate management objective is to support continued population increase, with concurrent marginal harvesting, while maintaining the population level above the target reference point (N70) of ca 12,000 whales. However, there remains large uncertainty about current population size and growth rate. The resulting data gaps require a plan for future research to monitor this population in the context of climate changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T05:06:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3c2fb9b316d64037a25d4d933b30b702 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T05:06:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-3c2fb9b316d64037a25d4d933b30b7022022-12-21T18:38:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452021-09-01810.3389/fmars.2021.709989709989Developing a Precautionary Management Approach for the Eastern Canada-West Greenland Population of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus)Steven H. Ferguson0Jeff W. Higdon1Patricia A. Hall2Rikke Guldborg Hansen3Thomas Doniol-Valcroze4Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, MB, CanadaHigdon Wildlife Consulting, Winnipeg, MB, CanadaFisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, MB, CanadaGreenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, GreenlandFisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, BC, CanadaBowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus L., 1758) of the Eastern Canada-West Greenland population have been hunted by Inuit for millennia. Significant commercial harvests, conducted by European and American whalers for about 400 years, ended ca. 1915. A small co-managed subsistence harvest from this population has occurred inconsistently in Canada and Greenland, since 1996 and 2009, respectively. Since near extirpation from commercial whaling, population size has increased and the Inuit subsistence hunt now requires a harvest management framework that incorporates knowledge of abundance trends, population dynamics, and carrying capacity. Here, we use a model estimate of pre-commercial exploitation abundance to approximate carrying capacity and develop a management framework with reference points and corresponding stock status zones. When applied to recent abundance estimates, our framework indicates that the population is likely within the healthy (N50–N70) zone. Thus, an appropriate management objective is to support continued population increase, with concurrent marginal harvesting, while maintaining the population level above the target reference point (N70) of ca 12,000 whales. However, there remains large uncertainty about current population size and growth rate. The resulting data gaps require a plan for future research to monitor this population in the context of climate changes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.709989/fullcommercial whalingdeterministic modelsubsistence huntinglimit reference pointsprecautionary principlehistorical abundance |
| spellingShingle | Steven H. Ferguson Jeff W. Higdon Patricia A. Hall Rikke Guldborg Hansen Thomas Doniol-Valcroze Developing a Precautionary Management Approach for the Eastern Canada-West Greenland Population of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) Frontiers in Marine Science commercial whaling deterministic model subsistence hunting limit reference points precautionary principle historical abundance |
| title | Developing a Precautionary Management Approach for the Eastern Canada-West Greenland Population of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) |
| title_full | Developing a Precautionary Management Approach for the Eastern Canada-West Greenland Population of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) |
| title_fullStr | Developing a Precautionary Management Approach for the Eastern Canada-West Greenland Population of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Developing a Precautionary Management Approach for the Eastern Canada-West Greenland Population of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) |
| title_short | Developing a Precautionary Management Approach for the Eastern Canada-West Greenland Population of Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus) |
| title_sort | developing a precautionary management approach for the eastern canada west greenland population of bowhead whales balaena mysticetus |
| topic | commercial whaling deterministic model subsistence hunting limit reference points precautionary principle historical abundance |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.709989/full |
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