Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

CETACEANS IN IRISH WATERS: A REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH

CETACEANS IN IRISH WATERS: A REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH To date, 24 cetacean species have been recorded in Irish waters. These are protected by a range of legislation, including the Whale Fisheries Act, the Wildlife Act and the EU Habitats Directive, which oblige Ireland to maintain cetacean populations and their habitat at a favourable conservation status. Policies aiming to maintain conservation objectives must be underpinned by scientific research. In this paper, we review historical and recent research on cetaceans in Irish waters (within the EEZ) to evaluate present knowledge and identify gaps in research. This information includes historical (pre-1976) records, targeted and incidental land, vessel and aerial based observations, acoustic surveys and monitoring and information from strandings. The habitat requirements of most cetacean species are not fully understood but some important habitats have been identified. A number of threats to the welfare of cetaceans in Irish waters have also been identified, including fisheries interactions, pollution, climate change and disturbance. Future research required to fill gaps in knowledge highlighted by this manuscript is considered and discussed. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy Royal Irish Academy

CETACEANS IN IRISH WATERS: A REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH

Loading next page...
 
/lp/royal-irish-academy/cetaceans-in-irish-waters-a-review-of-recent-research-ggl9aA7j6X

References (57)

Publisher
Royal Irish Academy
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 RIA
ISSN
0791-7945
eISSN
2009-003X
DOI
10.3318/BIOE.2009.109.2.63
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

To date, 24 cetacean species have been recorded in Irish waters. These are protected by a range of legislation, including the Whale Fisheries Act, the Wildlife Act and the EU Habitats Directive, which oblige Ireland to maintain cetacean populations and their habitat at a favourable conservation status. Policies aiming to maintain conservation objectives must be underpinned by scientific research. In this paper, we review historical and recent research on cetaceans in Irish waters (within the EEZ) to evaluate present knowledge and identify gaps in research. This information includes historical (pre-1976) records, targeted and incidental land, vessel and aerial based observations, acoustic surveys and monitoring and information from strandings. The habitat requirements of most cetacean species are not fully understood but some important habitats have been identified. A number of threats to the welfare of cetaceans in Irish waters have also been identified, including fisheries interactions, pollution, climate change and disturbance. Future research required to fill gaps in knowledge highlighted by this manuscript is considered and discussed.

Journal

Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish AcademyRoyal Irish Academy

Published: May 1, 2009

There are no references for this article.