Dear MARMAM Community, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our new publication in Endangered Species Research:
Lomac-MacNair, K., Blank, J., Blees, M., Wisdom, S., Perham, C., Crawford, J., Onoufriou, J. and Quakenbush, L., Behavioral reactions of non-denning polar bears to industry activities, North Slope, Alaska, 2009-2023. Endangered Species Research, pp.1-17. Abstract: Polar bears Ursus maritimus from the Southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation overlap with oil and gas industry activities in the Beaufort Sea and northern coast of Alaska, USA. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the US Fish and Wildlife Service authorizes incidental, non lethal Level B harassment of polar bears and currently applies a 1610 m impact area around industrial activities to estimate potential disturbance. This study analyzed 2058 polar bear observation reports collected from 2009 to 2023, including 1762 with distance data, and evaluated covariates including group composition (e.g. presence of cubs), season, nearest industry activity, activity type (stationary or mobile), bear reaction, and the distance at which a reaction occurred. Of the 2058 polar bear groups, 93% (n = 1918) exhibited no behavioral reaction, and 7% (n = 140) reacted by walking, swimming, or running away. Most observed reactions (91%) occurred at distances less than 805 m from industry activity, with a mean reaction distance of approximately 300 m. Using logistic regression with model selection, the probability of a polar bear reacting to industry activity was primarily influenced by distance and activity type, but not by season or group composition. Polar bears were more likely to react to mobile activities (vehicles, vessels, and aircraft) than to stationary (pad operations) at equivalent distances. For stationary activities, predicted reaction probabilities remained below 3% at both 805 and 1610 m, indicating that the current 1610 m impact area is likely conservative. These findings provide quantitative support for refining disturbance estimates and incidental take assessments for stationary industrial activities on Alaska’s North Slope. Our paper is available online: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01537 Cheers, Kate Kate Lomac-MacNair, PhD Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
_______________________________________________ MARMAM mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
