Dear MARMAM subscribers, We are pleased to announce the publication of our article “Out of habitat marine mammals – Identification, causes, and management recommendations” in the journal Marine Policy. It is open access and you can read the article and download the pdf here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X25000673
This paper looks at marine mammals which are found outside of their natural range OR within their natural range but in habitat which is not optimal for their health or survival due to a lack of suitable conditions and/or because of potential conflict with humans. We provide recommendations for how to prepare for such situations and how to manage animals and people. We are continuing to work on this topic, so if you have any case studies which you would like to share with us, please email Laetitia (lnu...@oceancare.org<mailto:lnu...@oceancare.org>). Here is the abstract: An out of habitat (OOH) marine mammal is an individual found outside of their natural range, e.g., an Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) along the coastline of mainland Europe, or an individual within their natural range in habitat that is not optimal for their health or survival due to a lack of suitable conditions and/or because of potential conflict with humans. As the number of OOH marine mammals appears to be increasing, and following on from two international workshops, here we define what constitutes an OOH marine mammal and provide a detailed assessment of potential drivers. Climate change, habitat loss and/or degradation, disturbance, changes in prey distribution, and morbidity may all be reasons for a marine mammal being OOH. Appropriate management of OOH marine mammals is considered. This may simply involve monitoring to better understand the situation, to protect the welfare of the animal(s) and to ensure that members of the public are kept safe. However, on occasion, further intervention may be required, such as providing safe areas for the OOH marine mammal(s), encouraging the animal(s) to move, capture and translocation, or euthanasia. Regardless of the action taken, educating and communicating with the public are key elements of OOH marine mammal management. Lessons can be learned from human-wildlife conflict and rewilding scenarios. The potential for OOH marine mammals to be pioneers seeking new habitat, contributing to species resilience in the face of rapidly changing environments, and how to include them in conservation legislation and management planning are considered. Best wishes, Laetitia Nunny, Mike Bossley, Rebecca Boys, Philippa Brakes, Tilen Genov, ECM Parsons, Katharina Peters, Naomi Rose, Claire Simeone, Karen Stockin, Courtney Vail, Krista van der Linde, Ingrid Visser and Mark Simmonds ____________________________________ OceanCare Laetitia Nunny Senior Science Officer Gerbestrasse 6 CH-8820 Waedenswil - Switzerland lnu...@oceancare.org<mailto:lnu...@oceancare.org> www.oceancare.org<http://www.oceancare.org/>
_______________________________________________ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
