The First International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas

ehavior and cultural trait considered unique to this population. <strong>The</strong> site has been
formally designated as “critical habitat” of northern resident killer whales, in recognition
of both biotic (prey) and abiotic (acoustic) habitat elements.
<strong>The</strong> reserve has facilitated research on the effects of boat traffic on killer whale behavior
and energetics. A cliff-top vantage site opposite the reserve allows researchers to
monitor whale behavior in the presence and absence of boats. Long-term collaboration
with whale watchers has made it possible to conduct several controlled exposure
experiments. In addition, the reserve has prompted inexpensive, land-based studies of
killer whale sociality and foraging ecology and contributed to a long-term, systematic
study of boat and killer whale use of the strait. <strong>The</strong> reserve contains only 0.001% of the
total range of northern resident killer whales, but on average, about 6.5% of the
population visits the area on any given day. Insights from the research in Robson Bight
have also been applied to endangered southern resident killer whales, which are more
exposed to vessel traffic. On average, 20 vessels are present within 1 km of southern
residents during daylight hours, and it has become nearly impossible to observe these
whales in the absence of boats. A 3-season study of southern residents, using complex
statistical modeling, concluded that they respond to boats much like northern residents,
namely by adopting erratic swimming paths and reducing their foraging time.
One lesson learned from Robson Bight is that, while the reserve offers a way to manage
whale watching traffic, this does not eliminate the need for careful management of
human activities in adjacent waters. In August 2007, a barge carrying ~20,000 L of
petroleum products sank in Robson Bight, exposing 25% of the northern resident killer
whale population to diesel. Given the importance of this tiny area to a threatened whale
population, it may be necessary to reconsider the somewhat modest current objectives of
the reserve and also to incorporate lessons learned there in planning future protected
areas for southern resident killer whales and other cetacean populations.
Spatial modeling as a tool for designing MPAs for small cetaceans in Spain
Ana Cañadas
A stepwise process has been used to select proposed MPAs in southern Spain. <strong>The</strong>
premise is that effectiveness depends on three critical steps: (a) setting clear, quantified
conservation objectives, (b) developing a well-supported long-term management plan to
achieve the objectives, and (c) establishing a monitoring program to assess whether the
conservation objectives are being met. Once the conservation objectives are agreed, the
following steps (as recommended by Rod Salm and others in 2000) should be taken:
• Data collation, including both a literature search and collection of new data on
the animals, human activities, and threats;
• Data analysis to determine areas with concentrations of the animals, human
activities, and threats;
• Data synthesis to create maps, establish priorities for protection, and better
understand spatial relationships among the animals, ecological processes, and
human activities;
ICMMPA <strong>Conference</strong> Proceedings
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