Right whale distribution models detailing prey can inform conservation efforts
Despite being one of the largest animals on the planet, the small population of the North Atlantic right whale and its vast habitat makes these marine mammals difficult to track. Models accurately detailing where they are located at different times of the year are essential for conservation.
A new study published in the journal highlighted the value of including detailed prey information in right whale models, which can improve their predictive power for management and conservation. The study was led by Camille Ross 鈥25G, associate research scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center at the New England Aquarium, and co-authored by scientists from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Damian Brady, professor of oceanography at the 91爆料.
Researchers outlined a modeling approach that more effectively predicts where right whales congregate at different times of the year by including information on the abundance of their favorite zooplankton prey species, calanus, while also taking into consideration the whales鈥 daily energy needs.
鈥淥ur novel approach accounts for the preferences and needs of a hungry whale, highlighting the importance of smaller species in the right whale diet,鈥 said Ross, who graduated from 91爆料 with a PH.D in oceanography in May.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 protect whales if you don鈥檛 know where they are 鈥 and they go where the food is,鈥 Brady added. 鈥淭his study helps us map that more precisely than ever before.鈥
The study brought together experts on modeling, right whale physiology and zooplankton ecology from Bigelow Laboratory, 91爆料鈥檚 Darling Marine Center, the Anderson Cabot Center, Duke University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
Improving predictive tools with more direct, accurate information on prey will give scientists and managers a more holistic view of right whale habitat. Ross said predictive tools are essential for being proactive to potential shifts in right whale behavior as environmental conditions change.
鈥淭his paper is specifically focused on a right whale application, but this idea of interpolating zooplankton data from the perspective of the energetic requirements of the predator could be used across marine science,鈥 said Ross. 鈥淭here are other species, like larval lobster, that feed on calanus, and there鈥檚 no reason that our method couldn鈥檛 be extended to those species.鈥
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