1. New paper: Bottlenose Dolphin Responses to Boat Traffic Affected by Boat
Characteristics and Degree of Compliance to Code of Conduct
(Aleksandra Koroza & Peter G.H. Evans)
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Dear MARMAM community,
We are delighted to announce the publication of our paper:
Koroza, A., & Evans, P. G. (2022). Bottlenose Dolphin Responses to Boat Traffic
Affected by Boat Characteristics and Degree of Compliance to Code of Conduct.
Sustainability, 14(9), 5185.
Abstract
Levels of boat traffic in coastal seas have been steadily increasing in many
parts of the world, introducing pressures on marine wildlife through
disturbance. The appropriate management of human activities is important not
only to preserve wildlife, but also for the local communities that depend on
ecotourism for employment and their economy. This study presents further
insight into bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) responses to boats in New
Quay Bay (West Wales) within the Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation.
This region is heavily dependent on wildlife tourism, and marine traffic is
regulated through a long-standing Code of Conduct. Based on a long-term dataset
spanning the months of April to October and the years 2010–2018, the study
found that compliance to a code of human behaviour increased dolphin positive
responses towards boats. Dolphin responses to individual named boats and to
different boat types were examined in greater detail. Speed boats, small
motorboats, and kayaks were found to break the code most often, resulting in
higher rates of negative response by dolphins. Visitor passenger boats formed
the majority of boat traffic in the area, and showed greater compliance than
other general recreational crafts. Suggestions are made for the better
protection of the coastal dolphin population, as well as the role that citizen
science can play to help achieve this goal through working directly with
wildlife trip boats and the recruitment of local observers.
The full paper may be accessed via this link
(https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095185 <https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095185>)
Kind regards,
Aleksandra
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Aleksandra Koroza
Institute of Oceanology
Polish Academy of Sciences
Climate and Ocean Research and Education Laboratory
Powstancow Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland
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