a programme for a two year feasibility study on cetaceans in icelandic waters marine research...

A PROGRAMME FOR A TWO YEAR FEASIBILITY STUDY ON

CETACEANS IN ICELANDIC WATERS

Marine Research Institute

Reykjavík, Iceland

Importance of marine research in Iceland

Increased internationalemphasis on ecosystem approach to management -

• ICES-NAFO?• FAO• NAMMCO• IWC• +?

Multispecies approach in Iceland

– Increased emphasis on multispecies management of fisheries in Iceland

– MRI’s multispecies research programme– Use of multispecies approach in management in

Iceland– Cetaceans not included

Cetacean research programme 1986-1989

– 10 separate research areas

– Greatly increased the knowledge of the state of the exploited whale stocks off Iceland

– Still important gaps in knowledge

– 14 years without research on basic biological parameters

– Increase in population size of fin whales

– Density dependent response?

Overview

– Present knowledge and research needs

– Objectives

– Methodology

– Effect of the catches on the stocks

Research needs

– Feeding ecology and multispecies models

– Population structure

– Population dynamics

– Applicability of alternative research methods

Research needs

• Cetacean research needed for modelling:– Diet composition - (including length distribution of

some prey species)

– Energetics - consumption rates

– Seasonal distribution and abundance

• Multispecies models

Increased knowledge on the role of cetaceans in the marine ecosystem in Icelandic waters is needed for improved multi-species management of fisheries in the area

GADGET

– Globally applicable Area Disaggregated General Ecosystem Toolbox

– Modelling framework based on Bormicon

– Fish species included in model: capelin, cod

– Data requirements: From none to enormous

Research needs

• Population dynamics

– Density dependence of biological parameters

– Reproductive parameters v/s energetic condition

– Health status of populations

Research needs

• Stock structure

– Genetics

– Satellite telemetry

– Other methods

Research needs

– Applicability of biopsies• Feeding studies

– Fatty acid profiles

– Stable isotope ratios

• Pollutants– Outer blubber layers

– Acid racemisation• Age determination -Eye lens

• Alternative research methods

Overall Objectives

• Feasibility study - Create basis for a future full scale study

• Increase the understanding of the feeding ecology and biology (including potential density dependence) of important cetacean species in Icelandic waters for improved management of living resources based on an ecosystem approach

• Increase the understanding of 1) stock structure on macro- and microgeographic scale 2) Health issues, including age and sex dependent aspects of pollutant levels in different organs and tissues and possible disease induced mortality in Icelandic whale populations.

• Testing the applicability of alternative research methods.

Minke whale

Objectives - Minke whale

1 Feeding ecology2 Stock structure3 Parasites and Pathology4 Biological parameters5 Pollutants6 Applicability of alternative research methods


1 Feeding ecology

– Diet composition• Stomach contents

• Spatial and temporal variation

• Prey availability

• non-lethal methods (fatty acids and stable isotope ratios)

– Energetics• Body condition

• Field metabolic rate


1 Feeding ecology

– Seasonal and geographical variation in minke whale abundance

• Aerial and shipboard surveys

• Satellite tagging

– Multispecies model


2 Stock structure– Genetics

• Macrogeography - Comparison to Greenland and Norway

• Temporal variation and heterogeneity with respect to possible mixing at the feeding grounds

• Effects of 18 years of protection on genetic composition (stock expansion or decline)

• Individual identification registry


2 Stock structure– Telemetry

• Autumn migration - wintering grounds

• Movements within summer feeding season


2 Stock structure– Analysis of other potential indicators of

stock structure

• Pollutants

• Morphology

• Parasites

• Biological parameters


3 Parasites and Pathology

– Examination of potential harmful or lethal pathogens

– Attempts to evaluate disease induced mortality rate

– Minke whale´s role in Anisakis simplex life cycle


4 Biological parameters

– Temporal changes in growth and reproductive parameters

– Age determination• Ear plugs• Amino acid racemization (eye lens)


5 Pollutants– Organochlorines and trace elements in respect to:

• Biological parameters (age, sex, maturity, feeding ecology)

• Trophic status ( 15N and 13C)

• Health status and pathological observations

• Geographical variation on small and large scale

• Various tissues and locations in the blubber core


6 Applicability of alternative research methods

– Applicability of biopsies• Feeding studies

– Fatty acid profiles and stable isotope ratios v.s. stomach contents

• Pollutants– Skin and outer layers of blubber v.s. inner layers and

various tissues

– Acid racemisation• Age determination -Eye lens

Research Methods

Whale sampling - Minke whale

– 100 animals per year– Temporally and spatially stratified sampling

scheme• Overlap in distribution of cod and minke whale• Whale abundance

– Geographical scale– Temporal scale

– Area division applied from Icelandic multispecies model (Bormicon)

Distribution of minke whale sightings

during NASS-2001

Subdivision of the Icelandic continental shelf area into sampling areas (small numbers) and the estimated abundance

of minke whales in each subarea (large numbers).

Temporal and spatial distribution of the proposed catch of minke whales in the two study years.

Area May June July August September/October

Total

Year 11 11 11 5 272 4 4 1 93 4 4 1 94 2 1 1 45 3 3 1 76 5 5 3 138 1 2 1 49 9 8 4 2110 3 2 1 6Total in year 1 42 40 18 100

Year 21 5 15 3 4 272 1 6 1 1 93 1 6 1 1 94 1 2 1 45 1 4 1 1 76 3 6 2 2 138 1 2 1 49 4 11 3 3 2110 1 3 1 1 6Total in year 2 18 55 14 13 100

Grand total 18 55 56 53 18 200

Dissection

– Blood and eyeballs immediately after death

– Photographs

– Weight of gonads

– Standard morphometric measurements

– Girth measured (6 sites)

– Blubber thickness measured (18 sites)

– Blubber and skin samples (18 sites)

Sites of measurements of blubber thickness (D1-V6) and girth (G1-G6)

Dissection

– Photographs– Standard morphometric measurements– Girth measured (6 sites)– Blubber thickness measured (18 sites)– Blubber and skin samples (18 sites)

– External parasites– Bacterial and viral samples

taken from lesions

Dissection - samples

Ovaries (weighed and sampled whole) - (reproduction)

Mammary gland (section) - (milk production)

Testes (weighed whole and two samples taken) - (reproduction)

Ear plugs - (age)

Skin - (genetics, pollutants)

Muscle - (energetics, genetics, pollutants)

Liver, heart, kidney, lung (sections) -

(energetics, genetics, pollutants)

Dissection - pathology

Minke whale

• Detailed necropsy of 50 individuals in first year:

– Visual identification of external lesions and in all major organs

– Samples from lesions for microscopic histopathology and microbiology

– Blood samples for blood chemistry, hematology and serology

– Urea for renal function

– Representative parasite specimens for identification

Laboratory work

Feeding ecology

– Stomach contents

– Fatty acid profiles

– Stable isotope ratios

– Energetics

Laboratory work

Feeding ecology - Fatty acid profiles

• Prey species - krill (spring/autumn), capelin, sandeel, cod, redfish

– Lipid extraction

– Fatty acid analysis

– Samples analysed• Blubber - inner, mid and outer region of the core

• Blood

Laboratory work

Feeding ecology - Stable isotope ratio

– Samples analysed (30 minke, 30 fin and 15 sei whale)

• Skin

• Blood

• Prey species - krill (spring/autumn), capelin, sandeel, cod, redfish

– Analyses of the 15N/14N and 13C/12C ratios

Laboratory work

Biological parameters

– Reproduction• Corpora counts; histological examination of testes

– Age determination• Ear plugs• Eye lens (racemization)

Laboratory work

Stock structure

– Genetics

– Satellite monitoring

– Other methods

Laboratory work

Pathology

– Blood chemistry

– Hematology

– Serology

– Urinalysis

– Microbiology

– Histology

– Electron microscopy

– Parasitology

Laboratory work

Pollutants

– Trace elements– PCBs and pesticides– PBDEs– Dioxins and dioxinlike PCBs– PAHs

Seasonal variation in whale abundance

– Aerial surveys three times each year

– Shipboard surveys in conjunction with fish and oceanographic surveys

Prey availability

– Combined fish/oceanographic/whale surveys

– Analysis of existing data on distribution of whales and potential prey species

– Testing different sampling methods for estimating krill abundance

Effects of Catches on the stock

– Abundance estimate for Icelandic coastal waters in 2001: 43.663 (CV 0.19)

– Assessments in 1990 (IWC) and 1998 (NAMMCO)

Fin whales

Objectives - Fin whale

1 Biological parameters2 Feeding ecology3 Parasites and Pathology (follow up study)

• Crassicauda infections

4 Stock structure5 Pollutants6 Applicability of non-lethal research methods


1 Biological parameters

– Temporal changes in growth and reproduction simultaneous to apparent changes in abundance

– Age determination• Ear plugs

• Amino acid racemisation (eye lens)


2 Feeding ecology– Diet composition

• Stomach contents• Prey availability• Geographical variation• Non-lethal methods (fatty acids and stable isotope ratios)

– Energetics– Seasonal and geographical variation in fin whale abundance

• Aerial and shipboard surveys• Satellite tagging

– Multispecies modeling


3 Parasites and Pathology

– Crassicauda infections (follow up study)

• Immunity

• Pathogenesis

• Morbidity

• Attempts to evaluate Crassicauda induced mortality rate


4 Stock structure

– Genetics

• Macrogeography - Comparison to Greenland, Norway and Faroes

• Temporal variation and heterogeneity with respect to possible mixing at the feeding grounds

• Effects of 14 years of protection on genetic composition (stock expansion or decline)

• Individual identification registry


4 Stock structure

– Telemetry

• Autumn migration - wintering grounds

• Movements within summer feeding season

• Respiratory frequency

– calculation on metabolic rate (energetics)

– abundance estimation


4 Stock structure

– Analysis of potential indicators of stock structure

• Pollutants

• Morphology

• Parasites

• Biological parameters


5 Pollutants

– Organochlorines and trace elements with respect to:

• Biological parameters (age, sex, maturity, feeding ecology)

• Trophic status ( 15N and 13C)

• Health status and pathological observations

• Geographical variation on small and large scale

• Various tissues and locations in the blubber core


6 Applicability of non-lethal research methods

– Diet analyses• Stomach contents v.s. fatty acid profiles and stable isotope ratios

– Pollutants• Skin and outer layers of blubber v.s. inner layers and various tissues

Research Methods

Whale sampling - Fin whale

– 100 animals per year

– Stratified sampling scheme.• Traditional whaling grounds off W-Iceland

– Comparison of biological parameters from previous catch

• Eastern area– Feeding ecology

– Stock structure

-46.00

-36.00

-26.00

-16.00

-6.00

4.00

50.00

55.00

60.00

65.00

70.00

75.00

- 1- 2 to 3- 4 to 12

Distribution of fin whale sightings

during NASS-2001

Research Methods

Whale sampling - Fin whale

– 100 animals per year

– Stratified sampling scheme.• Traditional whaling grounds off W-Iceland

– Comparison of biological parameters from previous catch

• Eastern area– Feeding ecology

– Stock structure

Subdivision of the Icelandic EEZ with respect to fin whale sampling areas.


Fin whale

– Gross inspection of total 200 individuals:

• Giant kidney worm (Crassicauda)

• Samples from lesions for microscopic histopathology

• Blood samples for blood chemistry, hematology and serology

• Urea for renal function

• Representative parasite specimens for identification


• Abundance estimate in 2001: 24.887 (c.v. 0.13)

• Assessments in 1991 (IWC) and 1999 (NAMMCO)

Sei whale

Objectives - Sei whale

1 Biological parameters2 Parasites and Pathology (follow up study)

• Bolbosoma spp in colon• Viral and bacterial infections in lungs• External lesions

3 Stock structure4 Pollutants5 Feeding ecology6 Applicability of non-lethal research methods

Research Methods

Whale sampling - Sei whales

– 50 animals per year– Opportunistic sampling


Sei whale

– Gross inspection of total 100 individuals:• Bolbosoma spp infections in colon

• External lesions

• Samples from lesions for microscopic histopathology

• Blood samples for blood chemistry, hematology and serology

• Urea for renal function

• Representative parasite specimens for identification


– No formal assessment

– Abundance estimate in 1989: 10.300 (CV 0.268) - negatively biased

– Mean annual catch since 1948: 68 (corresponding to 0.7% of the above stock size)

Participation by foreign scientists

in research on caught whales will be welcome, provided their research does not interfere with, or duplicates research planned in the present project.

This could be either by direct involvement of foreign scientists in data collection at the

dissection sites for their own research projects, or that the MRI arranges for data/samples to be

collected upon request.

.Trophic interactions

Minke Whale

0

20

40

60

80

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Rel

ativ

e C

atch

Rat

e

Fin Whale

0

2

4

6

8

10

12


SE

OP

Sei Whale

0

1

2

3

4

5


SE

OP

Relative seasonal abundance

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600

Blue whale

Fin whale

Sei whale

Minke whale

Humpback whale

Sperm whale

N-Bottlenose whale

Pilot whale

Killer whale

White-beaked dolphin

White-sided dolphin

Unident. dolphins

Harbour porpoise

Thousands of tons consumed

Fish

Crustaceans

Cephalopods

Estimated amount of prey consumed by cetaceans in Icelandic waters

a programme for a two year feasibility study on cetaceans in icelandic waters marine research...

Documents

iceland slide

area slide

enormous slide

cetacean research programme

minke whale slide

research needs feeding

importance of marine

separate research areas