Visual surveys provide baseline data on small vessel traffic and waterbirds in a coastal protected area.

The coastal waters of southern British Columbia, Canada, encompass habitat of international conservation significance to coastal and marine birds, including sizeable areas designated in the early 1900s as Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (MBS) to protect overwintering waterfowl from hunting near urban cen...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Louise K Blight, Douglas F Bertram, Patrick D O'Hara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2023-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283791
_version_ 1827963641562923008
author Louise K Blight
Douglas F Bertram
Patrick D O'Hara
author_facet Louise K Blight
Douglas F Bertram
Patrick D O'Hara
author_sort Louise K Blight
collection DOAJ
description The coastal waters of southern British Columbia, Canada, encompass habitat of international conservation significance to coastal and marine birds, including sizeable areas designated in the early 1900s as Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (MBS) to protect overwintering waterfowl from hunting near urban centres. Two of these, Shoal Harbour (SHMBS) and Victoria Harbour (VHMBS), have seen significant marine infrastructure development in recent decades and experience considerable vessel traffic. Vessel-related stressors are known to affect waterbirds, but traffic characteristics in coastal urban areas are poorly understood for the smaller vessels not tracked by Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). We conducted a pilot study using shore-based observers to develop small-vessel baselines for the winter months, when regional waterbird numbers are highest. During our surveys we recorded considerable inter-site variability in vessel traffic characteristics, with one site (SHMBS) a source of nearly twice as many vessel transits as the other (VHMBS). Most recorded vessels were small watercraft (mean length 26 ± 17', mode 18'), and vessels at the high-traffic site were both shorter and faster on average. One in six vessels were classified as 'noisy', of interest given that noise is an important component of vessel disturbance of waterbirds and other marine animals. Few vessels (7% of all recorded) were of the type required to carry AIS transponders, which highlights the monitoring gap created by using AIS-based approaches alone in nearshore waters, and allows for correction of AIS-derived vessel counts. Waterbird community composition also varied by locality, with one site dominated by gulls (Laridae), cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae), and seaducks (Tribe Mergini), and the other by gulls, cormorants, and alcids (Alcidae). Our results demonstrate that fine-scale local variability must be taken into account when managing for vessel traffic disturbance of waterbirds, particularly at sites of high human population density and increasing coastal development.
first_indexed 2024-04-09T17:02:30Z
format Article
id doaj.art-dea2a22586e14dc4a3284ec972c6c768
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1932-6203
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-09T17:02:30Z
publishDate 2023-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj.art-dea2a22586e14dc4a3284ec972c6c7682023-04-21T05:32:11ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01184e028379110.1371/journal.pone.0283791Visual surveys provide baseline data on small vessel traffic and waterbirds in a coastal protected area.Louise K BlightDouglas F BertramPatrick D O'HaraThe coastal waters of southern British Columbia, Canada, encompass habitat of international conservation significance to coastal and marine birds, including sizeable areas designated in the early 1900s as Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (MBS) to protect overwintering waterfowl from hunting near urban centres. Two of these, Shoal Harbour (SHMBS) and Victoria Harbour (VHMBS), have seen significant marine infrastructure development in recent decades and experience considerable vessel traffic. Vessel-related stressors are known to affect waterbirds, but traffic characteristics in coastal urban areas are poorly understood for the smaller vessels not tracked by Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). We conducted a pilot study using shore-based observers to develop small-vessel baselines for the winter months, when regional waterbird numbers are highest. During our surveys we recorded considerable inter-site variability in vessel traffic characteristics, with one site (SHMBS) a source of nearly twice as many vessel transits as the other (VHMBS). Most recorded vessels were small watercraft (mean length 26 ± 17', mode 18'), and vessels at the high-traffic site were both shorter and faster on average. One in six vessels were classified as 'noisy', of interest given that noise is an important component of vessel disturbance of waterbirds and other marine animals. Few vessels (7% of all recorded) were of the type required to carry AIS transponders, which highlights the monitoring gap created by using AIS-based approaches alone in nearshore waters, and allows for correction of AIS-derived vessel counts. Waterbird community composition also varied by locality, with one site dominated by gulls (Laridae), cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae), and seaducks (Tribe Mergini), and the other by gulls, cormorants, and alcids (Alcidae). Our results demonstrate that fine-scale local variability must be taken into account when managing for vessel traffic disturbance of waterbirds, particularly at sites of high human population density and increasing coastal development.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283791
spellingShingle Louise K Blight
Douglas F Bertram
Patrick D O'Hara
Visual surveys provide baseline data on small vessel traffic and waterbirds in a coastal protected area.
PLoS ONE
title Visual surveys provide baseline data on small vessel traffic and waterbirds in a coastal protected area.
title_full Visual surveys provide baseline data on small vessel traffic and waterbirds in a coastal protected area.
title_fullStr Visual surveys provide baseline data on small vessel traffic and waterbirds in a coastal protected area.
title_full_unstemmed Visual surveys provide baseline data on small vessel traffic and waterbirds in a coastal protected area.
title_short Visual surveys provide baseline data on small vessel traffic and waterbirds in a coastal protected area.
title_sort visual surveys provide baseline data on small vessel traffic and waterbirds in a coastal protected area
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283791
work_keys_str_mv AT louisekblight visualsurveysprovidebaselinedataonsmallvesseltrafficandwaterbirdsinacoastalprotectedarea
AT douglasfbertram visualsurveysprovidebaselinedataonsmallvesseltrafficandwaterbirdsinacoastalprotectedarea
AT patrickdohara visualsurveysprovidebaselinedataonsmallvesseltrafficandwaterbirdsinacoastalprotectedarea