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EDITORIAL FROM VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1
Welcome to this the first issue of the eleventh volume of the Journal of
Cetacean Research and Management. This volume contains nine papers covering a
range of conservation and management issues. We have unfortunately had a series
of problems with respect to getting the Journal published due to internal
problems at the printers we have used for many years. Sadly, after attempts to
secure further investment, they are no longer trading. We are now dealing with a
different company and the Journal should once again appear promptly.
The impact of ship strikes on cetaceans, and thus potentially on cetacean
populations, is an issue of increasing concern. Quantifying the extent of ship
strike mortality is difficult for a number of reasons including the fact that
with large fast vessels, collisions often go unnoticed and thus unreported. The
paper by Williams and O’Hara uses spatial modelling and GIS visualisation
techniques to provide spatial risk maps for fin, humpback and killer whales in
British Columbia. Such an approach is valuable for determining priorities for
mitigation measures, for example, instigating shipping lanes.
Studies of bowhead whales in the Bering-Chukcki-Beaufort (B-C-B) Seas are of
great importance since IWC management advice using the Bowhead Strike Limit
Algorithm is required for the aboriginal subsistence hunt from this population.
Information on stock structure and abundance is vital to providing advice on
safe catch limits and there are two relevant papers in this issue. Givens et al.
provide information on the factors that influence aerial line transect detection
of B-C-B whales, which has the potential to improve understanding and accuracy
of future surveys in the area. Sadykova and Schweder present information on the
inter-annual migration ranks of B-C-B bowhead whales passing Barrow in the
spring. This migration occurs around the mating season and has important
implications for genetic interchange and stock structure.
Photo-identification remains an invaluable and widely applicable tool for
studying cetacean populations, providing inter alia information on abundance,
stock structure, migration and population biology. There are several papers,
from as many countries, employing the technique in this issue. Poncelet et al.
present a comprehensive study of killer whale population dynamics in the Indian
Ocean, spanning 1977-2002. Minton et al. present important evidence of a
discrete Arabian Sea population of humpback whales. O’Brien et al. draw on the
data contained in a number of existing photo-identification catalogues to find
possible long-distance matching of bottlenose dolphins around the Irish coast.
Da Silva and Tiburcio use Empirical Bayesian methods to improve estimation of
the size of a closed population using photo-identification data.
Interactions between cetaceans and fisheries are important for a number of
reasons. Data on consumption is of importance for ecosystem modelling. Cetaceans
are commonly the top predators in their ecosystems and their interactions with
the targets of commercial fisheries are of great interest. The paper by Laran et
al. examines information on densities of both cetaceans and their prey species
in the Ligurian Sea and considers estimates of consumption and prey composition
for different species.
The Journal strongly encourages the publication of results from previously
little studied areas. In this issue it is pleased to publish a comprehensive
review of marine mammal records from Iran. Despite its 1,700km coastline, very
few records of marine mammals off Iran exist. Braulik et al. compile marine
mammal records from numerous sources in Iran including skeletal remains,
photographs, videos and strandings data. As well as bringing all this
information together, the threats to marine mammals in the area are also
reviewed.
I would like to draw your attention to the Guide for Authors included at the
end of this issue. Please read these carefully before submitting manuscripts.
Not following the guidelines may result in considerable delay in the
consideration of your manuscript!
Finally I would like to thank Andrea Cooke for stepping up to take on many of
Helen Coulson’s duties, who is now on maternity leave.
G.P.
Donovan
Editor
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