PROJECT

Mariculture Research and Restoration Consortium: Mariculture with Biological Communities, Marine Mammals

Background

Most published studies of marine mammals with aquatic farming have focused on finfish farms, where mammals interact with net pens. Some studies focus on birds and mammals near shellfish farms in the Lower 48 and overseas. Alaska is different. We don’t use finfish farming at all, and kelp and shellfish farming in our productive waters among our more abundant marine wildlife is growing into a larger scale than found elsewhere.  This study aims to describe marine mammal presence, density and interactions near Alaskan mariculture operations and document these for use by farmers and managers.

Methods

Using a line-transect boat-based survey, we are recording marine mammal densities four times  per year in Kodiak, Kachemak Bay, and Prince William Sound. During each visit to each region, 9 km - 19 km transect surveys are run in three different bodies of water, representing areas with higher, medium, and low or no farm density.  Point surveys are also made near farms.  Animals with potentially identifiable makings are photographed and submitted to existing, long-term projects collecting cetacean and pinniped sightings.  We are looking into passive methods to record marine mammal presence/absence that could also be used, including time-lapse camera monitoring.