Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific
Whale-watching (WW) is an activity which has been increasing worldwide due to the great interest of tourists and the economic benefits it provides to local communities. However, it has been reported that this activity affects the behavioral patterns of some cetaceans, although for some species such...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.623954/full |
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| author | Macarena Santos-Carvallo Macarena Santos-Carvallo Macarena Santos-Carvallo Fernanda Barilari Fernanda Barilari María José Pérez-Alvarez María José Pérez-Alvarez María José Pérez-Alvarez Laura Gutiérrez Laura Gutiérrez Laura Gutiérrez Guido Pavez Guido Pavez Guido Pavez Héctor Araya Cristobal Anguita Claudia Cerda Claudia Cerda Maritza Sepúlveda Maritza Sepúlveda Maritza Sepúlveda |
| author_facet | Macarena Santos-Carvallo Macarena Santos-Carvallo Macarena Santos-Carvallo Fernanda Barilari Fernanda Barilari María José Pérez-Alvarez María José Pérez-Alvarez María José Pérez-Alvarez Laura Gutiérrez Laura Gutiérrez Laura Gutiérrez Guido Pavez Guido Pavez Guido Pavez Héctor Araya Cristobal Anguita Claudia Cerda Claudia Cerda Maritza Sepúlveda Maritza Sepúlveda Maritza Sepúlveda |
| author_sort | Macarena Santos-Carvallo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Whale-watching (WW) is an activity which has been increasing worldwide due to the great interest of tourists and the economic benefits it provides to local communities. However, it has been reported that this activity affects the behavioral patterns of some cetaceans, although for some species such as the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) this has not been extensively studied. To identify the effects of WW on the behavioral patterns of this species, we studied its traveling and resting behaviors in a locality of north-central Chile from 2015 to 2018. Using a theodolite, we calculated the response variables of swim speed, directness index, and reorientation for each behavior. We used the number of WW boats and the WW scenarios of “before”, “during”, and “after” the presence of boats as possible factors to explain the differences in the response variables of the whales, along with the factors of year, month, group size, and distance from the observation point. Reorientation increased significantly and the directness index decreased significantly for both traveling and resting behaviors from “before” to “during” WW scenarios, indicating more erratic and sinuous movements in the presence of boats. These changes in movement patterns are a commonly reported evasion response of cetaceans to the presence of WW boats. For traveling behavior, the swimming speed significantly increased, and trends showed increased reorientation and a decrease in the directness index in the “after” WW scenario, which suggests perturbation of the whales potentially associated with the speed and the direction in which the boats left. During resting behavior, the trajectories of the fin whales became straighter (decrease in reorientation) as the number of boats increased, thus evasion (more erratic and sinuous movements) is a behavior used less by fin whales as the number of boats increases. Notwithstanding the fact that tourism development in the study area is small in scale, we found that WW generates adverse effects that are reflected in changes in the whales’ movement patterns. This kind of information is valuable to the adjustment and/or design of management strategies for the species, which is fundamental for WW to continue to be a sustainable activity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T18:26:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bc97e71eb59743bfa37c2210d339cfac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T18:26:07Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-bc97e71eb59743bfa37c2210d339cfac2022-12-21T22:51:56ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452021-03-01810.3389/fmars.2021.623954623954Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern PacificMacarena Santos-Carvallo0Macarena Santos-Carvallo1Macarena Santos-Carvallo2Fernanda Barilari3Fernanda Barilari4María José Pérez-Alvarez5María José Pérez-Alvarez6María José Pérez-Alvarez7Laura Gutiérrez8Laura Gutiérrez9Laura Gutiérrez10Guido Pavez11Guido Pavez12Guido Pavez13Héctor Araya14Cristobal Anguita15Claudia Cerda16Claudia Cerda17Maritza Sepúlveda18Maritza Sepúlveda19Maritza Sepúlveda20Programa de Magister en Áreas Silvestres y Conservación de la Naturaleza, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, ChileCentro de Investigación y Gestión de Recursos Naturales (CIGREN), Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChileCentro de Investigación Eutropia, Santiago, ChileCentro de Investigación y Gestión de Recursos Naturales (CIGREN), Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChilePrograma de Magister en Ciencias mención Biodiversidad y Conservación, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChileCentro de Investigación Eutropia, Santiago, ChileEscuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, ChileInstituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, ChileCentro de Investigación y Gestión de Recursos Naturales (CIGREN), Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChilePrograma de Postgrado en Oceanografía, Departamento de Oceanografía, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileCentro de Investigación Oceanográfica COPAS Sur-Austral, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, ChileCentro de Investigación y Gestión de Recursos Naturales (CIGREN), Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChileCentro de Investigación Eutropia, Santiago, ChileDepartamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile0Instituto de Estadística, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile1Laboratorio de Ecología de Vida Silvestre, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, ChilePrograma de Magister en Áreas Silvestres y Conservación de la Naturaleza, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile2Departamento de Gestión Forestal y su Medio Ambiente, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, ChileCentro de Investigación y Gestión de Recursos Naturales (CIGREN), Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChileCentro de Investigación Eutropia, Santiago, Chile3Núcleo Milenio de Salmónidos Invasores (INVASAL), Concepción, ChileWhale-watching (WW) is an activity which has been increasing worldwide due to the great interest of tourists and the economic benefits it provides to local communities. However, it has been reported that this activity affects the behavioral patterns of some cetaceans, although for some species such as the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) this has not been extensively studied. To identify the effects of WW on the behavioral patterns of this species, we studied its traveling and resting behaviors in a locality of north-central Chile from 2015 to 2018. Using a theodolite, we calculated the response variables of swim speed, directness index, and reorientation for each behavior. We used the number of WW boats and the WW scenarios of “before”, “during”, and “after” the presence of boats as possible factors to explain the differences in the response variables of the whales, along with the factors of year, month, group size, and distance from the observation point. Reorientation increased significantly and the directness index decreased significantly for both traveling and resting behaviors from “before” to “during” WW scenarios, indicating more erratic and sinuous movements in the presence of boats. These changes in movement patterns are a commonly reported evasion response of cetaceans to the presence of WW boats. For traveling behavior, the swimming speed significantly increased, and trends showed increased reorientation and a decrease in the directness index in the “after” WW scenario, which suggests perturbation of the whales potentially associated with the speed and the direction in which the boats left. During resting behavior, the trajectories of the fin whales became straighter (decrease in reorientation) as the number of boats increased, thus evasion (more erratic and sinuous movements) is a behavior used less by fin whales as the number of boats increases. Notwithstanding the fact that tourism development in the study area is small in scale, we found that WW generates adverse effects that are reflected in changes in the whales’ movement patterns. This kind of information is valuable to the adjustment and/or design of management strategies for the species, which is fundamental for WW to continue to be a sustainable activity.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.623954/fulltravelingrestingmovement pattern analysisland-based trackingtourism effectsChile |
| spellingShingle | Macarena Santos-Carvallo Macarena Santos-Carvallo Macarena Santos-Carvallo Fernanda Barilari Fernanda Barilari María José Pérez-Alvarez María José Pérez-Alvarez María José Pérez-Alvarez Laura Gutiérrez Laura Gutiérrez Laura Gutiérrez Guido Pavez Guido Pavez Guido Pavez Héctor Araya Cristobal Anguita Claudia Cerda Claudia Cerda Maritza Sepúlveda Maritza Sepúlveda Maritza Sepúlveda Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific Frontiers in Marine Science traveling resting movement pattern analysis land-based tracking tourism effects Chile |
| title | Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific |
| title_full | Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific |
| title_fullStr | Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific |
| title_short | Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific |
| title_sort | impacts of whale watching on the short term behavior of fin whales balaenoptera physalus in a marine protected area in the southeastern pacific |
| topic | traveling resting movement pattern analysis land-based tracking tourism effects Chile |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.623954/full |
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