Article 17 web tool

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: Para la estimación del rango se ha efectuado un polígono mínimo convexo (MCP) con las localizaciones encontradas en cada demarcación marina, ya que ha resultado ser el medio más fidedigno de representación, al compararlo con diversos modelos (GAM, Kernel, etc.). Para ello se ha empleado el MCP al 95% mediante la herramienta Home Range Tools para ArcGIS 10.1. ||
->Population: Estima poblacional realizada en el proyecto SCANS-III. ||
->HabInfo: N/A ||
->Future: N/A ||
->Conclusion: N/A ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: N/A

Open Original Report  

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: N/A ||
->Population: N/A ||
->HabInfo: N/A ||
->Future: N/A ||
->Conclusion: N/A ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: N/A

Open Original Report  

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: The natural range of Cuvier’s beaked whales in Irish waters, and marine waters covered by the Directive, is a small component of the species’ wider North Atlantic range (DEHLG, 2009; Heyning & Mead, 2009; Rogan et al., 2017; Berrow et al., 2018; Rogan et al., 2018).
The range map provided consists of the species’ recorded and likely predominant natural range based on comparatively recent data (2001-2018) and expert judgement, and is partly derived from 2.3. It consists of a block of contiguous 50km x 50km grid cells distributed in Irish marine waters of 500m depth or greater, and now includes the relevant assessment area under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Prior to 1999-2000, survey effort targeting cetacean species in Irish offshore waters was comparatively limited in coverage, both spatially and temporally. Since 1999-2000 a number of dedicated multi-annual surveillance programmes for cetaceans have operated in Irish waters, with visual and acoustic surveys extending to the limits of Ireland's EEZ and beyond. With regard to this species it is considered that the years 2007-2018 represent an appropriate period for the evaluation of short-term trends since all survey efforts intensified further during this period.
Sighting and acoustic records from ongoing dedicated surveillance effort in Irish waters (Frouin-Mouy et al., 2017; Kavanagh et al., 2017; O’Donnell et al., 2018; Berrow et al., 2018; Rogan et al., 2018) provide no evidence of a decline in distribution/range in the recent past; therefore the short-term trend for Range is considered to be stable.
The long-term trend period (1994-2018) is considered to be uncertain for this species due to limited data availability prior to 1999-2000, as outlined above.
The range value derived from the map referred to above is considered to be the baseline for this species. This surface area calculation is greater than that reported in 2013 due to the integration of Ireland’s MSFD assessment area within the range.
Since there is no evidence of a decline in range since the Directive came into force the current range is set as the FRR.
There is an assumption that the current range in Irish waters is large enough (a) to encompass all of the ecological variation required by this species during its occurrences therein and (b) to contribute to the long-term survival of the species. ||
->Population: Evidence from deep water acoustic monitoring (Aguilar de Soto et al., 2004; Frouin-Mouy et al., 2017; Berrow et al., 2018) and multi-annual surveillance programmes (e.g., Ó Cadhla et al., 2004; Berrow et al., 2010; Wall et al., 2013; Kavanagh et al., 2017; Rogan et al., 2017; O’Donnell et al., 2018; Rogan et al., 2018) now demonstrate that Cuvier’s beaked whales occur widely in deeper offshore waters to the west and south-west of Ireland and do so throughout the year.
The relationship between Cuvier’s beaked whales occurring in Ireland and those elsewhere in the eastern North Atlantic (e.g., Bay of Biscay) is unknown, however. Due to the relative scarcity of confirmed records and abundance estimates of this species, the accurate determination of population trends, either in the short or long term, remains fraught with difficulty.
Furthermore, the extent of movements or regional residency by communities of the species are poorly understood, partly due to the animals’ occurrence in exposed environments far from shore and to their deep oceanic ecology, which combine to make their study both difficult and logistically demanding.
Within the North-East Atlantic in summer, recent work by Hammond et al. (2017) indicates that some 11,394 beaked whales (95% C.I: 4,494-28,888) could be attributed to deeper waters off northern Spain, western France and the UK. Yet comprehensive and methodologically comparable data for the entire region of western Europe are lacking, particularly with regard to sufficient temporal coverage (i.e., beyond one or more summer months separated by many years) and spatial coverage (i.e., spanning outer continental shelf, slope and deeper abyssal waters, all of which may represent Cuvier’s beaked whale habitat).
New Cuvier’s beaked whale data from Ireland’s ObSERVE Programme (see Berrow et al., 2018 and Rogan et al., 2018) have not yet been integrated into an Atlantic- or Europe-wide assessment of population size/density for this species. Since the new estimates derived for Cuvier’s beaked whale population size are variable depending on the survey block, season and year of coverage (Rogan et al., 2018) and they represent the first such abundance estimates for Ireland, it is not yet possible to determine a realistic baseline value since the Directive came into force; consequently the FRP remains unknown. ||
->HabInfo: Use of the range descriptor and range surface area calculation as proxies for habitat and habitat area are judged appropriate for this wide-ranging pelagic and deep-diving species. The species’ natural range and thus habitat in Irish waters is considered to be a small component of its wider North Atlantic range (Taylor et al., 2008; Heyning & Mead, 2009; DEHLG, 2009; Hammond et al., 2017; Rogan et al., 2017; Berrow et al., 2018; Rogan et al., 2018).
The quality of habitat for Cuvier’s beaked whale was determined by consideration of the relevant direct and indirect pressures thought to be acting on the species and/or its functional group, and its habitat within its natural environment. These pressures were evaluated in development of the Conservation Plan for Cetaceans in Irish waters (DEHLG, 2009) and informed by more recent scientific surveillance (e.g., Baines et al., 2013; Hammond et al., 2017; Kavanagh et al., 2017; O’Donnell et al., 2018; Berrow et al., 2018; Rogan et al., 2018), using available data concerning, inter alia, habitat use, population size, distribution and ecology, and threats to the species’ protection (e.g., via natural/biological sources, human sectoral activities, management gaps, etc.).
Although, relative to principal human maritime activity in Ireland, they are demonstrated to be a more remote offshore species, Cuvier’s beaked whales may be subject to a number of local and/or regional environmental pressures throughout their range (DEHLG, 2009). However, based on current spatial and temporal data none are considered to be of sufficient impact on the species to be causing a significant deterioration in overall habitat quality in Ireland from a status that is sufficient for long-term survival.
Long-term trends in habitat for Cuvier’s beaked whale remain uncertain due to insufficient accurate data for this species prior to 1999-2000. However with improved surveillance (e.g., under the ObSERVE Programme) and an improving number of records of Cuvier’s beaked whales in the last 18 years, the short-term trend indicates the continued existence of sufficient quality habitat for the species. ||
->Future: Visual and acoustic records of Cuvier’s beaked whale in Irish waters indicate a wide and prevailing occurrence of the species throughout the year, in deep oceanic waters and those overlying the continental slope and also some parts of outer continental shelf.
Since many significant (i.e., high level) anthropogenic impacts that may affect this wide-ranging species’ distribution are more localised in space and time within this extensive and diverse marine area, the Future prospects for the Range and Habitat for the species are considered to be Good.
A number of pressures that could act upon this species have been identified. The effect of these pressures may operate on a temporary and/or regional scale and some are likely to continue to act as pressures into the future, thereby constituting a potential threat.
The impacts on individuals or populations of Cuvier’s beaked whale in Irish waters are not well understood, partly due to the species’ recorded occurrence in comparatively small numbers and to continuing uncertainty regarding its population trends and ecology within Ireland’s marine area. Therefore the Future prospects for the Population are considered to be Unknown. ||
->Conclusion: Numerous contemporary sightings of Cuvier’s beaked whales and extensive acoustic data demonstrate the wide and frequent occurrence of this species in deep oceanic waters, those overlying the continental slope, and also the margin of the continental shelf (e.g., around the Porcupine Seabight, the Porcupine Bank and eastern Rockall Trough). Hence the Range and Habitat for the species are considered to be Favourable.
While robust and long-term data on Cuvier’s beaked whale population size and trends in Irish waters as a whole are not available, knowledge of the species’ seasonal distribution, abundance and density in the offshore waters of western Europe has improved significantly since the Directive came into force.
There has also recently been a very significant improvement in population abundance data from a significant deep water component of the Irish EEZ, yielding the first density/abundance estimates and associated 95% Confidence Intervals for this region, both in the summer and winter seasons.
However there is considerable uncertainty about the trajectory of northeast Atlantic populations of Cuvier’s beaked whale. Given available estimates for Irish and neighbouring European waters, which are variable and thus far drawn from very different methodologies, the Population parameter is considered to be Unknown.
A number of potentially significant pressures have been identified. While the effect of these pressures may act on a temporary and/or regional scale and some are likely to continue to act as pressures into the future, none is considered to be of sufficient magnitude to be causing an adverse impact on populations of Cuvier’s beaked whale in Irish waters. Ongoing threats as listed or identified into the future via surveillance will be managed appropriately. Hence the Future prospects for the species are considered to be Favourable.
Based on the assessments for the Range, Population, Habitat and Future prospects parameters, the overall conclusion is that the Conservation Status of Cuvier’s beaked whale in Ireland is Favourable. This overall result is different from the previous two Article 17 assessments, due to improved knowledge and higher quality data, and to new methods proven to be effective for use in the assessment of the species’ status. ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: N/A

Open Original Report  

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: considering the very large mobility of the species, range refers to the largest poligon occupied by all sightings ||
->Population: No estimates were possible other than the best estimate for the 2011 offshore survey (LIFE+ MarPro) ||
->HabInfo: N/A ||
->Future: N/A ||
->Conclusion: N/A ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: N/A

Open Original Report  

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: Para la estimación del rango se ha efectuado un polígono mínimo convexo (MCP) con las localizaciones encontradas en cada demarcación marina, ya que ha resultado ser el medio más fidedigno de representación, al compararlo con diversos modelos (GAM, Kernel, etc.). Para ello se ha empleado el MCP al 95% mediante la herramienta Home Range Tools para ArcGIS 10.1. ||
->Population: Estima poblacional en abse a los ejemplares mínimos detectados en el proyecto Mistic Seas II ||
->HabInfo: N/A ||
->Future: N/A ||
->Conclusion: N/A ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: Megaptera novaeangliae presence in Canary marine demarcation area is rare

Open Original Report  

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: "5.1 Considering that marine mammals are migratory and highly mobile species, range surface area is assumed as the maritime waters under Azores and Madeira jurisdiction (including internal and territorial waters and the Portuguese sub-areas of the Exclusive Economic Zone).

5.10 Favourable reference range is unknown according to expert opinion. Marine mammals are highly migratory and their ecological range and distribution are very wide, at the ocean basin scale and, therefore, much greater than the biogeographical region.
" ||
->Population: As estimativas populacionais foram elaboradas com base em amostragem dirigida obtida através do programa oceânico do projeto MISTIC SEAS II. Correspondem à soma das estimativas populacionais dos 2 arquipélagos para uma área de 32.804 km2 para o Arquipélago dos Açores e de 1.907 km2 para o arquipélago da Madeira (34.711km2 de um total MMAC PT = 1.450.200km2=2.39% do total do range MMAC PT). Por esta razão as estimativas MMAC foram consideradas como correspondendo a um valor mínimo (reportado como best single value) conforme indicam as guidelines do Art. 17, para casos em que a área amostrada corresponde a uma subestimativa considerável da área total da região biogeográfica.
Azores: Design-based Abundance=53 38%CV Area = 32804 km2 ||
->HabInfo: opinião baseada na ausência de evidência de impactos consistentes de actividades humanas sobre o habitat (pex: ocorrência sistemática de exercicios militares com recurso a sonar de média frequencia)

Azores: 7.1 Sufficiency of area and quality of occupied habitat unknown according to the guidelines (habitat area is stable but the quality is unknown - Table 4: Assessing trend direction of habitat for the species) ||
->Future: N/A ||
->Conclusion: Açores: Baseado na opinião dos peritos ainda não há dados suficientes para se poder avaliar o estado de conservação atual da espécie, pelo que se reportou unknown em todos os campos de avaliação. ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: A espécie tem ocorrência regular nos Açores onde têm sido avistados indivíduos isolados ou pequenos grupos. A espécie ocorre durante todo o ano, embora possa ser mais frequente durante o Verão.

Açores:
Campo 2. Os mapas de distribuição foram elaborados com base em registos de ocorrências do Programa de Observação das Pescas dos Açores (POPA) e que são de observação de cariz oportunista e não amostragens dirigidas. No entanto, cobrem uma área de cerca de 20% do range total do Mar dos Açores (200.000km2 de 984.900km2), uma área muito mais abrangente que as áreas de estudo do projeto MISTIC SEAS II (<3% da área total do range MMAC PT).

Campo 6. As estimativas populacionais foram elaboradas com base em amostragem dirigida obtidas através do programa oceânico do projeto MISTIC SEAS II. Correspondem à soma das estimativas populacionais dos 2 arquipélagos para uma área de 32.804 km2 para o Arquipélago dos Açores e de 1.907 km2 para o arquipélago da Madeira (34.711km2 de um total MMAC PT = 1.450.200km2=2.39% do total do range MMAC PT). Por esta razão as estimativas MMAC foram consideradas como correspondendo a um valor mínimo (reportado como best single value) conforme indicam as guidelines do Art. 17, para casos em que a área amostrada corresponde a uma subestimativa considerável da área total da região biogeográfica.

13.3 Azores: For the distribution map the data were collected under the Azorean Fisheries Observer Program (POPA; www.popaobserver.org) and consisted of dedicated visual transects, which were performed following a fixed protocol by fishery observers on-board pole-and-line tuna vessels.

Open Original Report  

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: Para la estimación del rango se ha efectuado un polígono mínimo convexo (MCP) con las localizaciones encontradas en cada demarcación marina, ya que ha resultado ser el medio más fidedigno de representación, al compararlo con diversos modelos (GAM, Kernel, etc.). Para ello se ha empleado el MCP al 95% mediante la herramienta Home Range Tools para ArcGIS 10.1. ||
->Population: Estima poblacional en base a los ejemplares detectados en el ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative (2018). Dado que se trata de los resultados observados (a falta de ser analizados y extrapolados al conjunto del área, lo que estará disponible a lo largo de 2019) no se consideran comparables con los 250-673 ejemplares comunicados en el sexenio anterior. ||
->HabInfo: N/A ||
->Future: N/A ||
->Conclusion: N/A ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: N/A

Open Original Report  

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: N/A ||
->Population: N/A ||
->HabInfo: N/A ||
->Future: N/A ||
->Conclusion: N/A ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: N/A

Open Original Report  

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: N/A ||
->Population: N/A ||
->HabInfo: The surface area of the habitat is estimated at 421843 km2 (equal to range) and its quality is bad.
The repeated naval exercises with the use of military sonar (which has provoked tens of whale killings) and the start of seismic surveys in the very habitat of this species along with the Hellenic Trench contribute to a very bad quality of habitat for the species. ||
->Future: N/A ||
->Conclusion: N/A ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: This species inhabits offshore waters, mainly above the continental slope and depths between 500 and 1500 meters. Deeper offshore waters are also inhabited. The population size of this species was unknown during the last assessment of its conservation status (2006) and remains unknown, since this is the most elusive species of the Mediterranean cetacean fauna, particularly difficult to study. Consequently, the available data do not allow the estimation of the absolute abundance of this species.
However, the trend for the population, the range and the habitat are “Decreasing”. Entire population units may vanish after a naval exercise where military sonar is used. This has happened repeatedly since 1996 when the first mass stranding has been recorded in Kyparissiakos Gulf (an area of important Cuvier’s beaked whale presence before the NATO exercise of 1996). During at least the 15 years that followed the use of military sonar, no whales were observed despite the numerous surveys in the area. At least three more mass strandings have been recorded from 1997 to 2014 (in the Ionian Sea twice and in south Crete), two of them during the last 6 years (in 2011 and 2014). During the use of military sonar (and the subsequent mass strandings) important numbers of animals are likely to be anthropogenically removed from the population and at the same time important sea areas may be depleted from this species.
In addition to the use of military sonar there is deterioration of the species habitat because of rapid increase of the anthropogenic noise levels introduced to the marine environment by seismic surveys and marine traffic and pollution by plastic debris swallowed by Cuvier’s beaked whales.
Although many parameters regarding the species population are unknown, the threat by the use of military sonar is extremely high, since one single exercise in a geographical zone could rapidly erase an entire population unit from the map.

Open Original Report  

Scientific name used in original MS report if different than recommended: "Ziphius cavirostris"
Information provided in the field 2.8.2: Reported additionnal information: ||
->Range: N/A ||
->Population: N/A ||
->HabInfo: N/A ||
->Future: N/A ||
->Conclusion: N/A ||
->JustificationThreshold: N/A ||
->Other: N/A

Open Original Report