The UK is responsible for some 880,000 square kilometres of ocean, home to over twenty species of marine mammals - whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seals. Monitoring marine mammals isn’t just important for understanding more about these species and the wider ocean ecosystem. With increasing human activities such as shipping, offshore renewable energy, and coastal development, monitoring is vital for ensuring these activities are conducted responsibly.
“Since leaving the European Union, demands for marine and fisheries monitoring data have rapidly increased,” explains Dorrian, who highlights legislation and policies such as the Environment Act (2021) and the British Energy Security Strategy (BESS). Such legislation and policies require environmental, social, and economic aspects to be considered holistically.
As part of the marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme, the Defra-IMarEST partnership will evaluate current methods and technologies used internationally in marine mammal monitoring, identify gaps, and look at opportunities for innovation and how targeted investment could be delivered.
“There are a lot of marine mammal monitoring methods and technologies. Each will have its strengths and its limitations,” Dorrian says. “You could be talking about populations, to understand abundance, distribution, behaviours, or you could be talking health. We could be looking at collecting faecal samples, Environmental Deoxyribonucleic acid (eDNA), and aerial surveys, collecting whale snot with a drone, or deploying hydrophones in the water.”
Read the full story at The Marine Professional.