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ACADIA BIOLOGY SEMINAR SERIES -- ALL ARE WELCOME! Seminars take place Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 in PAT 308. Refreshments are provided, and everyone is welcome. Hope to see everyone there! This week Biology will host TWO seminars! Thursday, February 28th Dr. Chris Taggart (Oceanography department at Dalhousie University.) 11:30-12:30 PAT 308 Vessels and right whales in the Scotia-Fundy region: from quantitative science comes informed and effective policy. 2:00-3:00 PAT 308 The growing degree-day and fish size-at-age: explained growth and insights to size-selective-fishing effects on growth and maturity. Right Whale Abstract: The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is critically endangered, in large part, due to vessel-strike mortality. We use vessel traffic and right whale survey data (~3 nautical mile, ~5.6 km resolution) for the Bay of Fundy and on the Scotian Shelf (northwest Atlantic) to determine the relative risk of lethal vessel encounters by using two estimates: 1) the event - the relative probability of a vessel encountering a right whale, and 2) the consequence - the probability of a lethal injury given an encounter. For the Bay of Fundy region our estimates demonstrated that a 62% reduction in relative risk of lethal collision could be achieved through an amendment to the traffic separation scheme (TSS) that intersects the Right Whale Conservation Area. In the Roseway Basin region of Scotian Shelf the majority of vessels navigate outside of a Right Whale Conservation Area, though the highest relative risk is concentrated within the Conservation Area where fewer vessels are navigating at higher speeds. Here, our estimates demonstrated that a seasonal recommendatory area to be avoided (ATBA) could be designed to reduce the risk imposed by vessels upon right whales in the region. Our estimates contributed to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adoption of a TSS amendment in the Bay of Fundy and an ATBA on the Scotian Shelf. Thus, the goal of achieving the greatest reduction in the risk of lethal vessel-encounters with whales, balanced by some minimal disruption to vessel operations while maintaining safe navigation, can be achieved.
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