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Whale Superhighways (aussie.zone)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Australia is barely on the map. It counts.

https://wwfwhales.org/news-stories/protecting-blue-corridors-report

A new report from WWF and partners provides the first truly comprehensive look at whale migrations and the threats they face across all oceans, highlighting how the cumulative impacts from industrial fishing, ship strikes, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change are creating a hazardous and sometimes fatal obstacle course for the marine species.

The report outlines how whales are encountering multiple and growing threats in their critical ocean habitats - areas where they feed, mate, give birth, and nurse their young - and along their migration superhighways, or 'blue corridors'.

Growing evidence shows the critical role whales play maintaining ocean health and our global climate - with one whale capturing the same amount of carbon as thousands of trees.

The International Monetary Fund estimates the value of a single great whale at more than US$2 million, which totals more than US$1 trillion for the current global population of great whales.

"This report presents some of the most comprehensive data to date on large scale movements of whales through the world's oceans. The emerging picture underscores the need for swift, concerted action and investment of resources from national governments, international bodies, local communities, industry and conservation groups like WWF to stop this underwater assault on whales and protect these critical blue corridors," said Dr. Margaret Kinnard, WWF Global Wildlife Practice Lead. Protecting Blue Corridors: Challenges and solutions for migratory whales navigating national and international seas is being published ahead of World Whale Day on 20 February.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Revising my original post 😉

The content of the graphic is quite interesting but suffers from a few flaws that are unfortunately common in papers.

Australia looks invisible because the colour choices were likely made to highlight the routes of the high profile species in the North Pacific and Atlantic. If you look at the individual species at the bottom we've got a bit more of a presence there, despite a lack of tracks in our region.

Also as you pointed out they very much laid it out in such a way as to emphasize certain geographies, despite the high importance of the southern ocean to many whale species. I need to go back and see where the tagging was done, as northern whales seem to be to be over represented in the tracks. It looks like most likely in close proximity to Monterey Bay in California, if I had to guess. Admittedly if the data had come from an Australian institution, it would likely be biased to data collected here.

I'd also be very interested in seeing this same data laid out with a split northern/southern hemisphere map, from the perspective of the poles.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I went data hunting. The full PDF is here:

https://zenodo.org/record/6196131

Page 57 contains the southern map I was looking for. The full document contains much more information, and is less geographically limited.

Lots to read!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I'm going to have to wait till I can find a desktop (laptop died 2 days ago). Way too information dense for a phone.

Nearly missed this one so thanks for adding it in.