Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T14:14:36.220Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cetaceans in the global centre of marine biodiversity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2014

Anna Isabel Ender ,
Muhajir ,
Sangeeta Mangubhai ,
Joanne R. Wilson ,
Purwanto  and
Andreas Muljadi
Anna Isabel Ender
Affiliation:
James Cook University, 1 James Cook Drive, Douglas, QLD 4811, Australia
Muhajir
Affiliation:
The Nature Conservancy, Indonesia Marine Program, Jl. Moh. Yamin V No.7, Desa Sumerta Kelod, Denpasar Timur 80235, Indonesia
Sangeeta Mangubhai*
Affiliation:
The Nature Conservancy, Indonesia Marine Program, Jl. Moh. Yamin V No.7, Desa Sumerta Kelod, Denpasar Timur 80235, Indonesia IUCN Oceania Regional Office, 5 Ma'afu Street, Suva, Fiji
Joanne R. Wilson
Affiliation:
The Nature Conservancy, Indonesia Marine Program, Jl. Moh. Yamin V No.7, Desa Sumerta Kelod, Denpasar Timur 80235, Indonesia Sea Solutions, 1/2 Miller Place, Pottsville, NSW 2489, Australia
Purwanto
Affiliation:
The Nature Conservancy, Indonesia Marine Program, Jl. Moh. Yamin V No.7, Desa Sumerta Kelod, Denpasar Timur 80235, Indonesia
Andreas Muljadi
Affiliation:
The Nature Conservancy, Indonesia Marine Program, Jl. Moh. Yamin V No.7, Desa Sumerta Kelod, Denpasar Timur 80235, Indonesia Coral Triangle Center, Jl.Tamblingan 78, Sanur 80228, Bali, Indonesia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: S. Mangubhai, IUCN Oceania Regional Office, 5 Ma'afu Street, Suva, Fiji email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Indonesia has a diverse range of cetacean species, yet there are few records of their distribution, especially from remote regions. Incidental sightings from aerial surveys were conducted in 2006 and boat-based surveys were conducted from 2006–2011 in Raja Ampat in the Bird's Head Seascape, Indonesia. This paper is the first to provide a species list and an indication of the spatial and temporal distribution of cetaceans in central and southern Raja Ampat. Seven dolphin and six whale species were documented, including Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins Sousa chinensis, Bryde's Balaenoptera edeni, sperm Physeter macrocephalus, killer Orcinus orca and pygmy killer Feresa attenuata whales. Temporal differences in sightings suggest Raja Ampat is an important area for migratory whale species and resident populations of Indo-Pacific humpback Sousa chinensis, spinner Stenella longirostris and common bottlenose Tursiops truncatus dolphins. Cetacean diversity was highest in the months of January–February, May and October–November, with most sightings recorded in Kofiau marine protected area and Dampier and Sagewin Straits. Diversity and species distribution data are critical for managing cetaceans in Indonesia. Emerging threats to cetaceans in Raja Ampat include seismic surveys for seabed oil and gas exploration, potential strikes from increasing ship traffic, entanglement in fishing nets and increasing discharge of plastic pollution from urban areas. In addition to regulations for marine protected areas, a wider conservation strategy is required to address or better manage emerging threats to Raja Ampat, and to ensure the long-term protection of resident and migratory dolphin and whale species.

Keywords

Raja AmpatBird's Head SeascapeCoral Trianglemarine mammalsdistributionnoise pollutionseismic surveys
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 7 , 2014 , e18
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aguilar Soto, N.A., Johnson, M., Madsen, P.T., Tyack, P.L., Bocconcelli, A. and Borsani, J.F. (2006) Does intense ship noise disrupt foraging in deep-diving Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris)? Marine Mammal Science 22, 690–699.Google Scholar
Allen, G.R. and Erdmann, M.V. (2012) Reef fishes of the East Indies. Volumes I–III. Perth, Western Australia: Tropical Reef Research.Google Scholar
Baumgartner, M., Mullin, K., May, L. and Leming, T. (2001) Cetacean habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Fisheries Bulletin 99, 219–239.Google Scholar
Barnes, R.H. (1996) Lamakera, Solor. Ethnographic notes on a Muslim whaling village of eastern Indonesia. Anthropos 91, 75–88.Google Scholar
Bejder, L., Samuels, A., Whitehead, H. and Gales, N. (2006) Decline in relative abundance of bottlenose dolphins exposed to long-term disturbance. Conservation Biology 20, 1791–1798.Google Scholar
Borsa, P. and Nugroho, D.A. (2010) Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) and other cetaceans in Raja Ampat waters, West Papua. Marine Biodiversity Records e49. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S175526721000045X.Google Scholar
Cañadas, A. and Sagarminaga, R. (2000) The northeastern Alboran Sea, an important breeding and feeding ground for the long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Mammal Science 16, 513–529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carwardine, M. (1995) Eye witness handbook: whales, dolphins and porpoises. The visual guide to all world's cetaceans. New York: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.Google Scholar
Carwardine, M. (2002) Whales, dolphins and porpoises. London: Smithsonian Handbooks and Dorling Kindersley Ltd.Google Scholar
Castellote, M., Clark, C.W. and Lammers, M.O. (2012) Acoustic and behavioural changes by fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in response to shipping and airgun noise. Biological Conservation 147, 115–122.Google Scholar
Coral Triangle Initiative (2009) Regional Plan of Action on Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security. Indonesia: Interim Regional CTI Secretariat.Google Scholar
Davis, R., Fargion, G., May, N., Leming, T., Baumgartner, M., Evans, W.E., Hansen, L.J. and Mullin, K. (1998) Physical habitat of cetaceans along the continental slope in the north-central and western Gulf of Mexico. Marine Mammal Science 14, 490–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, R.W., Ortega-Ortiz, J.G., Ribic, C.A., Evans, W.E., Biggs, D.C., Ressler, P.H., Cady, R.B., Leben, R.R., Mullin, K.D. and Würsig, B. (2002) Cetacean habitat in the northern oceanic Gulf of Mexico. Deep-Sea Research 49, 121–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erbe, C. (2002) Underwater noise of whale-watching boats and potential effects on killer whales (Orcinus orca), based on an acoustic impact model. Marine Mammal Science 18, 394–418.Google Scholar
Ford, J.K.B., Ellis, G.M. and Balcomb, K.C. (2000) Killer whales: the natural history and genealogy of Orcinus orca in British Columbia and Washington. 2nd edition. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.Google Scholar
Hart, L.B. (2011) The use of longitudinal and cross-sectional photographic data to study skin disease in wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) . PhD thesis. Medical University of South Carolina.Google Scholar
Huffard, C.L., Erdmann, M.V. and Gunawan, T. (2009) Defining geographic priorities for marine biodiversity conservation in Indonesia. Indonesia: USAID Coral Triangle Support Partnership, 103 pp.Google Scholar
IUCN (2012) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org (accessed 1 December 2013).Google Scholar
Jacobsen, J.K., Massey, L. and Gulland, F. (2010) Fatal ingestion of floating net debris by two sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Marine Pollution Bulletin 60, 765–767.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jefferson, T.A., Leatherwood, S. and Webber, M.A. (1993) FAO species identification guide: marine mammals of the world. Rome: United Nations Environment Programme Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.Google Scholar
Kahn, B. (2005) Indonesia Oceanic Cetacean Program Activity Report: April–June 2005. Bali: Apex Environmental, 31 pp.Google Scholar
Kahn, B. (2007) Marine Mammals of the Raja Ampat Islands: Visual and Acoustic Cetacean Survey and Training Program. Bali: Apex Environmental, 57 pp.Google Scholar
Kahn, B. (2009) Marine Mammal Survey and Training in Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia: Management Implications for Resident Bryde's Whales. Bali: Apex Environmental, 32 pp.Google Scholar
Kahn, B. (2010) Seismic Surveys and Offshore Exploration in Highly Sensitive Marine Areas: Regulatory Guidelines and Best Practices for Contractors and Operators Working in the Indonesian Seas. Bali: Apex Environmental, 30 pp.Google Scholar
Kahn, B. and Pet, J. (2003) Long-term visual and acoustic cetacean surveys in Komodo National Park, Indonesia 1999–2001: management implications for large marine migratory marine life. In Beumer, J.P., Grant, A. and Smith, D.C. (eds) Proceedings of the World Congress on Aquatic Protected Areas 2002. Murdoch, Western Australia: Australian Society for Fish Biology, pp. 625–673.Google Scholar
Kiszka, J., Macleod, K., Van Canneyt, O., Walker, D. and Ridoux, V. (2007) Distribution, encounter rates, and habitat characteristics of toothed cetaceans in the Bay of Biscay and adjacent waters from platform-of-opportunity data. ICES Journal of Marine Science 64, 1033–1043.Google Scholar
Kreb, D. (2008) Sulawesi Sea Cetacean Project 2007–2008. Final technical report. Conservation and diversity of marine cetaceans in the Berau Archipelago, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Indonesia: RASI Conservation Foundation, Kalimantan Timur, 22 pp.Google Scholar
Kreb, D. and Budiono. (2005a) Conservation management of small core areas: key to survival of a Critically Endangered population of Irrawaddy river dolphins Orcaella brevirostris in Indonesia. Oryx 39, 1–11.Google Scholar
Kreb, D. and Budiono. (2005b) Cetacean diversity and habitat preferences in tropical waters of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53, 149–155.Google Scholar
Kreb, D. and Budiono. (2012) Final technical report. East Kalimantan Cetacean Conservation Project 2009–2012. Conservation and diversity of cetaceans within a new potential MPA in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. RASI Conservation Foundation, Kalimantan Timur, 27 pp.Google Scholar
MacLeod, K., Simmonds, M.P. and Murray, E. (2006) Abundance of fin (Balaenoptera physalus) and sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) amid oil exploration and development off northwest Scotland. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8, 247–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacKenzie, D. (2004) Seismic surveys may kill giant squid. New Scientist 184, 15.Google Scholar
Mangubhai, S., Erdmann, M.V., Wilson, J.R., Huffard, C.L., Ballamu, F., Hidayat, N.I., Hitipeuw, C., Lazuardi, M.E., Muhajir, Pada, D., Purba, G., Rotinsulu, C., Rumetna, L., Sumolang, K. and Wen, W. (2012) Papuan Bird's Head Seascape: emerging threats and challenges in the global center of marine biodiversity. Marine Pollution Bulletin 64, 2279–2295.Google Scholar
McCauley, R.D., Fewtreli, J., Duncan, A.J., Jenner, C., Jenner, M.N., Penrose, J.D., Prince, R.I.T., Adhitya, A., Murdoch, J. and McCabe, K. (2000) Marine seismic surveys—a study of environmental implications. APPEA Journal 40, 692–708.Google Scholar
McCauley, R.D., Fewtrell, J. and Popper, A.N. (2003) High intensity anthropogenic sound damages fish ears. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 113, 638–42.Google Scholar
Moore, M.J. and Van der Hoop, J.M. (2012) The painful side of trap and fixed net fisheries: chronic entanglement of large whales. Journal of Marine Biology. Article ID 230653. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/230653.Google Scholar
Muljadi, A.H. and Nugrahaeni, T. (2006) Pengamatan Insidental di Kofiau, Raja Ampat. Protokol monitoring versi 1.0. Kofiau, Raja Ampat: The Nature Conservancy—Coral Triangle Center, 26 pp.Google Scholar
Mustika, P.L.K., Hutasoit, P., Madusari, C.C., Purnomo, F.S., Setiawan, A., Tjandra, K. and Prabowo, W.E. (2009) Whale strandings in Indonesia, including the first record of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the archipelago. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 57, 199–206.Google Scholar
Negri, M.F., Denuncio, P., Panebianco, M.V. and Cappozzo, H.L. (2012) Bycatch of franciscana dolphins Pontoporia blainvillei and the dynamic of artisanal fisheries in the species' southernmost area of distribution. Brazilian Journal of Oceanography 60, 149–158.Google Scholar
Pratomo, A., Setiawan, A., Wiadnya, G., Barmawi, M. and Mous, P.J. (2006) Pengamatan Insidental di sekitar Misool Timur Selatan. Protokol monitoring versi 1.0. Bali: The Nature Conservancy—Coral Triangle Center, 26 pp.Google Scholar
Reeves, R.R. (2000) The Value of Sanctuaries, Parks, and Reserves (Protected Areas) as Tools for Conserving Marine Mammals. Report prepared for the Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA, 54 pp.Google Scholar
Reif, J.S. (2011) Animal sentinels for environmental and public health. Practice Articles, Public Health Reports, 2011 Supplements 126, 50–56.Google Scholar
Rudolf, P., Smeenk, C. and Leatherwood, S. (1997) Preliminary checklist of Cetacea in the Indonesian Archipelago and adjacent waters. Zoologische Verhandilingen 312, 3–48.Google Scholar
Schick, R.S., Halpin, P.N., Read, A.J., Urban, D.L., Best, B.D., Good, C.P., Roberts, J.J., LaBrecque, E.A., Dunn, C., Garrison, L.P., Hyrenbach, K.D., McLellan, W.A., Pabst, D.A., Palka, D.L. and Stevick, P. (2011) Community structure in pelagic marine mammals at large spatial scales. Marine Ecology Progress Series 434, 165–181.Google Scholar
Simmonds, M.P. (2012) Cetaceans and marine debris: the great unknown. Journal of Marine Biology. Article ID 684279. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/684279.Google Scholar
Stone, C.J. and Tasker, M.L. (2006) The effects of seismic airguns on cetaceans in UK waters. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8, 255–263.Google Scholar
Tomascik, T., Mah, A.J., Nontji, A. and Moosa, M.K. (1997) Seagrasses. In Tomascik, T., Mah, A.J., Nontji, A. and Moosa, M.K. (eds) The ecology of the Indonesian Seas VIII, Part II. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 829–906.Google Scholar
Veron, J.E.N., DeVantier, L.M., Turak, E., Green, A.L., Kininmonth, S., Stafford-Smith, M. and Peterson, N. (2009) Delineating the Coral Triangle. Galaxea 11, 91–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vranes, K. and Gordon, A.L. (2005) Comparison of Indonesian throughflow transport observations, Makassar Strait to eastern Indian Ocean. Geophysical Research Letters 32, 1–5.Google Scholar
Wilson, J., Rotinsulu, C., Muljadi, A.M., Wen, W., Barmawai, M. and Mandagi, S. (2010) Spatial and temporal patterns in marine resource use within Raja Ampat Region from aerial surveys 2006. Bali: The Nature Conservancy, 44 pp.Google Scholar
Yang, W.C., Chou, L.S., Jepson, P.D., Brownell, R.L., Cowan, D., Chang, P.H., Chiou, H.I., Yao, C.J., Yamada, T.K., Chiu, J.T., Wang, P.J. and Fernández, A. (2008) Unusual cetacean mortality event in Taiwan, possibly linked to naval activities. Veterinary Record 162, 184–186.Google Scholar