The Phoenix Archipelago in the Central Pacific is situated in what was once one of the most productive areas for capturing sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). These whales were the focal targets of American offshore whalers in the mid-19th century along the equator, an area known as the “on-the-line” whaling grounds. Now, as large-scale Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have provided protection for marine mammals and their food sources, it is important to have a solid understanding of historical baselines so recovery distributions can be compared with pre-whaling distributions. The Phoenix Islands archipelago contains two large MPAs: the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), established by Kiribati in 2008, and the Howland/Baker unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM), established by the United States in 2009. Using historic whaling records from American whaling vessels operated through the wider Phoenix Archipelago region, we reconstructed information about the presence and distribution of P. microcephalus throughout the 1800s within and around PIPA and the Howland/Baker units of the PRIMNM. Historical data analyzed using ArcGIS showed that sperm whales were present year-round within the study area, which is consistent with 20th century records from the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). A Getis Ord Gi∗ hotspot analysis also revealed sighting hotspots within PIPA and near Howland and Baker, suggesting that these two areas may be of long-term ecological importance to sperm whales in the central Pacific. The New England whaling fleet ceased whaling effort in the central Pacific in the late 1800s, and publicly available records since that time are scarce. There has been no modern systematic whale survey ever conducted within the Phoenix Archipelago, though anecdotal accounts and sightings have been compiled over the years. These intermittent accounts suggest that though whale populations have not recovered to pre-whaling baselines, large-scale MPAs may play a role in helping to foster a resurgence of marine mammal populations. As the network of large-scale MPAs continue to grow as part of the commitment to ocean conservation set forth by UNESCO, IUCN, and the UN Decade for Ocean Science, historical baselines will be critical as a “yardstick” to measure population resurgence success for each MPA, and for populations overall.

中文翻译：

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凤凰群岛抹香鲸（Physeter macrocephalus）分布的历史趋势

中太平洋的凤凰群岛位于曾经是捕杀抹香鲸 (Physeter macrocephalus) 产量最高的地区之一。这些鲸鱼是 19 世纪中叶美国近海捕鲸者沿赤道的重点目标，该地区被称为“在线”捕鲸场。现在，由于大型海洋保护区 (MPA) 为海洋哺乳动物及其食物来源提供了保护，因此对历史基线有深入的了解非常重要，以便可以将恢复分布与捕鲸前分布进行比较。凤凰群岛群岛包含两个大型海洋保护区：基里巴斯于 2008 年建立的凤凰群岛保护区 (PIPA) 和美国于 2009 年建立的太平洋偏远岛屿海洋国家纪念碑 (PRIMNM) 的豪兰/贝克单位。使用美国捕鲸船在更广泛的凤凰群岛地区运营的历史捕鲸记录，我们重建了有关 PIPA 和 PRIMNM 的 Howland/Baker 单位内部和周围的整个 1800 年代小头鲸存在和分布的信息。使用 ArcGIS 分析的历史数据显示，研究区域内全年都有抹香鲸，这与海洋生物地理信息系统 (OBIS) 的 20 世纪记录一致。Getis Ord Gi∗ 热点分析还揭示了 PIPA 内以及 Howland 和 Baker 附近的目击热点，表明这两个区域可能对中太平洋的抹香鲸具有长期的生态重要性。新英格兰捕鲸船队在 1800 年代后期停止了在太平洋中部的捕鲸活动，从那时起公开的记录很少。尽管多年来积累了轶事记录和目击事件，但凤凰群岛内从未进行过现代系统的鲸鱼调查。这些断断续续的描述表明，虽然鲸鱼种群尚未恢复到捕鲸前的基线，但大型海洋保护区可能有助于促进海洋哺乳动物种群的复苏。作为联合国教科文组织、世界自然保护联盟和联合国海洋科学十年制定的海洋保护承诺的一部分，随着大型海洋保护区网络不断发展，历史基线将成为衡量人口复苏成功的“标准”每个 MPA，以及总体人口。尽管多年来一直在编制轶事叙述和目击事件。这些断断续续的描述表明，虽然鲸鱼种群尚未恢复到捕鲸前的基线，但大型海洋保护区可能有助于促进海洋哺乳动物种群的复苏。作为联合国教科文组织、世界自然保护联盟和联合国海洋科学十年制定的海洋保护承诺的一部分，随着大型海洋保护区网络不断发展，历史基线将成为衡量人口复苏成功的“标准”每个 MPA，以及总体人口。尽管多年来一直在编制轶事叙述和目击事件。这些断断续续的描述表明，虽然鲸鱼种群尚未恢复到捕鲸前的基线，但大型海洋保护区可能有助于促进海洋哺乳动物种群的复苏。作为联合国教科文组织、世界自然保护联盟和联合国海洋科学十年制定的海洋保护承诺的一部分，随着大型海洋保护区网络不断发展，历史基线将成为衡量人口复苏成功的“标准”每个 MPA，以及总体人口。