ABSTRACT

Recreational use of wild spaces is increasingly popular, resulting in a burgeoning tourism industry. Such activities can degrade the environment and disrupt the behaviour and natural function of organisms. A small population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) is resident in Dusky Sound, New Zealand, a fjord with increasing human use. Dolphins, as top predators, play an important role within ecosystems and are at risk of long-term negative consequences from behavioural changes when exposed to high levels of vessel activity. A better understanding of the distribution of the dolphins in Dusky Sound would provide a framework for developing management within the fjord. Here we describe where dolphins were most frequently found, based on >40,000 km of photo-ID survey effort conducted over 10 years. Kernel density estimation revealed two large core areas that remained consistent over the duration of this study. This information could be used to determine areas within Dusky Sound where human activities around dolphins could be managed to avoid anthropogenically driven detrimental impacts. We suggest the following: (1) establish dolphin protection zones, (2) create a marine mammal sanctuary, (3) extend marine reserve boundaries, and/or (4) lower catch limits for fish within the fjord boundaries.

摘要

对野生空间的休闲利用越来越受欢迎，从而催生了蓬勃发展的旅游业。此类活动会破坏环境并破坏生物体的行为和自然功能。一小群宽吻海豚（Tursiops truncatus））居住在新西兰达斯基湾（Dusky Sound），该峡湾的人类使用量不断增加。海豚作为顶级捕食者，在生态系统中发挥着重要作用，当暴露于高水平的船只活动时，它们面临着因行为变化而产生长期负面后果的风险。更好地了解达斯基湾海豚的分布将为峡湾内的管理发展提供一个框架。在此，我们根据 10 年来进行的超过 40,000 公里的照片 ID 调查工作，描述了最常发现海豚的地方。核密度估计揭示了两个大的核心区域在本研究期间保持一致。这些信息可用于确定暗色海湾内的区域，在这些区域中可以对海豚周围的人类活动进行管理，以避免人为造成的有害影响。