Summary of Reported Whale-Vessel Collisions in Alaskan Waters
Joint Authors
Straley, Janice M.
Neilson, Janet L.
Jensen, Aleria S.
Gabriele, Christine M.
Jackson, Kaili
Source
Issue
Vol. 2012, Issue 2012 (31 Dec. 2012), pp.1-18, 18 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2012-07-17
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
18
Main Subjects
Earth Science , Water and Environment
Abstract EN
Here we summarize 108 reported whale-vessel collisions in Alaska from 1978–2011, of which 25 are known to have resulted in the whale's death.
We found 89 definite and 19 possible/probable strikes based on standard criteria we created for this study.
Most strikes involved humpback whales (86%) with six other species documented.
Small vessel strikes were most common (<15 m, 60%), but medium (15–79 m, 27%) and large (≥80 m, 13%) vessels also struck whales.
Among the 25 mortalities, vessel length was known in seven cases (190–294 m) and vessel speed was known in three cases (12–19 kn).
In 36 cases, human injury or property damage resulted from the collision, and at least 15 people were thrown into the water.
In 15 cases humpback whales struck anchored or drifting vessels, suggesting the whales did not detect the vessels.
Documenting collisions in Alaska will remain challenging due to remoteness and resource limitations.
For a better understanding of the factors contributing to lethal collisions, we recommend (1) systematic documentation of collisions, including vessel size and speed; (2) greater efforts to necropsy stranded whales; (3) using experienced teams focused on determining cause of death; (4) using standard criteria for validating collision reports, such as those presented in this paper.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Neilson, Janet L.& Gabriele, Christine M.& Jensen, Aleria S.& Jackson, Kaili& Straley, Janice M.. 2012. Summary of Reported Whale-Vessel Collisions in Alaskan Waters. Journal of Marine Sciences،Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-18.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-996991
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Neilson, Janet L.…[et al.]. Summary of Reported Whale-Vessel Collisions in Alaskan Waters. Journal of Marine Sciences No. 2012 (2012), pp.1-18.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-996991
American Medical Association (AMA)
Neilson, Janet L.& Gabriele, Christine M.& Jensen, Aleria S.& Jackson, Kaili& Straley, Janice M.. Summary of Reported Whale-Vessel Collisions in Alaskan Waters. Journal of Marine Sciences. 2012. Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-18.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-996991
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-996991