Hosted by P. Tixier, R. de Stephanis and G. Donovan
Like other cetaceans, killer whales are exposed to actual or potential threats from a variety of human activities that can adversely affect their habitat and prey or the animals directly. These may be common across populations or limited to local populations and groups. Examples include habitat degradation (including chemical pollution and coastal development), cetacean watching, interactions with marine traffic and interactions with fisheries.
The species is frequently reported interacting with fisheries, with many populations having learned to take catches from fishing gear (a behavior termed “depredation”). This can make the whales more vulnerable to entanglements (already a threat) and potentially a target for direct action by fishers who may lose gear and catch. In addition to whales being killed or damaged by vessel strikes, vessel interactions may also involve probable play behavior by killer whales that can result in damage to or sinking of sail boats (usually via the rudder) as seen in recent years in off the Iberian Peninsula; again
with the potential that sailors take direct action.
More ‘indirect’ threats can include the effects of chemical pollution on reproduction and survivorship; shifts in distribution from optimal areas due to disturbance (e.g. tourism, increased vessel traffic or development) and/or changes in prey availability and distribution (e.g. due to overfishing).
The ability of killer whales to adapt and develop new behaviors in response to human activities may lead to additional rather than reduces conflicts with humans, with both socio-economic and ecological impacts. While mitigating these conflicts primarily becomes a priority for local actors, the lack of knowledge on their mechanisms (causes and consequences) often prevents effective solutions, ensuring both the conservation of killer whales and the viability of the human activities involved, to be identified.
You have to consult with the event organizer:
The objective of this Workshop is to develop a framework to guide the investigation, understanding and mitigation of both direct and indirect interactions between human activities and killer whales.
Focus will be on:
Reviewing the main types and cases of documented interactions between killer whales and human activities, their drivers (ecological and/or anthropogenic) and impacts (positive and/or negative);
Examining priorities with regard to the science needed to inform for mitigation when interactions involve serious threats to killer whale conservation; discussing the role of researchers in the management of these interactions (and interactions with managers and affected persons) by inter alia sharing experiences on the approaches that have provided effective solutions.
The objective will then be to develop a framework document (potentially for journal submission) that:
synthesizes identified interactions that have a high likelihood of affecting killer whale conservation at local or broader levels;
considers larger-scale questions such as ‘are fisheries altering, though resource removals or new feeding opportunities, the diet and the ecological predatory role of killer whales in their ecosystem? or ‘are industrial activities (e.g. tourism and marine traffic) excluding killer
whales from optimal habitat thus adversely affecting their dynamics?’;
and strategies to involve all major stakeholders in collaborative efforts towards mitigation and co-existence.
Important Update on Workshop Registration!
Send your mail to:
paul.tixier@ird.fr , renaud@circe.info , corkblue1o@gmail.com
To streamline the registration process and ensure better management, we have made some important changes:
The workshop registration form has been removed from the website.
Participants must now contact the workshop organizers directly via email to register.
In your registration email, please provide the following basic information:
Your full name.
Your institution.
Your reason for interest in the workshop.
The process has been simplified to ensure better management of participants. This change will allow organizers to manage registrations directly, prioritize participants based on specific criteria, and improve communication with attendees.
Please note that capacity is still limited. Therefore, we encourage you to register as soon as possible to secure your spot.
If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to seeing you at the workshop!
Human and orca interactions
