Persistent, anthropogenic contaminants collectively known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), are considered to be potential threats to wildlife reproductive fitness (Wingfield, 2002). The modes by which EDCs act on the reproductive system, and establishment of steroid profiles in wildlife, are important areas of study. Two means of performing an endocrine snapshot profile from dolphin tissues (serum and urine) were tested on samples, comparing a novel high performance liquid chromatography method to newly-validated enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISAs). Serum and urine samples were obtained from two marine parks, and from free-ranging dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Charleston Harbor (CHS) systems. Relative binding affinities of steroids versus putative EDCs to steroid receptors were compared in dolphin reproductive tissues, obtained by the Georgia Aquarium's Dolphin Conservation Field Station (GADCFS) from strained bottlenose dolphins (four male, three female) during 2010 and 20ll.........I conclude that endocrine disruptors are tissue and receptor specific, and both legacy and emerging contaminants are of concern to dolphin stocks, particularly those facing other significant environmental stressors. / by Sharon M. Homer-Drummond. / Vita. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

A região do complexo estuarino-lagunar de Cananéia-Iguape, situada no litoral sul do estado de São Paulo, é uma área de grande interesse científico. Entre um dos mamíferos marinhos existente nessa região está a Pontoporia blainvillei, a qual teve a sua gordura subcutânea (blubber) analisada para quantificação de POPs. Os valores de concentração média obtida para as 48 amostras analisadas foram, em ordem decrescente: PCBs (1532 ng g-1); DDTs (537 ng g-1); Clordanas (64,0 ng g-1); PBDEs (38,4 ng g-1); Mirex (30,7 ng g-1); Drins (25,2 ng g-1); HCB (9,51 ng g-1); HCHs (7,59 ng g-1) e Endosulfan (6,22 ng g-1). A razão DDT/PCB encontrada foi de 0,35. As concentrações dos POPs entre machos maduros e machos imaturos apresentaram diferenças significativas (com exceção do HCH), sendo os valores encontrados para os machos maduros maiores que os valores obtidos para os machos imaturos; entre os machos maduros e fêmeas imaturas, os grupos de dados foram iguais significativamente (exceção para o DDT e mirex); entre os machos imaturos e fêmeas imaturas, os grupos de dados apresentaram igualdade significativa para todos os POPs. Foi encontrada correlação entre os POPs e a idade dos indivíduos estudados, bem como correlação forte entre PCB x PBDE, PCB x DDT e PBDE x DDT. / Forty eight samples of subcutaneous fat (blubber) of Pontoporia blainvillei were analyzed for the quantitation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This marine mammal lives in the estuarine complex of Cananéia-Iguape, São Paulo-BR. The average concentration values of POPs was: PCBs (1532 ng g-1); DDTs (537 ng g-1); Chlordanes (64.0 ng g-1); PBDEs (38.4 ng g-1); Mirex (30.7 ng g-1); Drins (25.2 ng g-1); HCB (9.51 ng g-1); HCHs (7.59 ng g-1) e Endosulfan (6.22 ng g-1). Adult male were those with the highest concentrations of POPs. The DDT/PCBs ratio was equal to 0.35, showing an increase in concentration of PCBs in this area (compared with earlier studies). The concentrations of POPs were different (except for HCH) for mature males and immature males. Between males mature and immature females, the data were significantly (except for DDT and mirex) equal. Between immature males and immature females, data groups were significantly equal for all POPs. Moderate correlation was found between POPs and age, as well as strong correlation between PCB x PBDE, PCB x DDT and PBDE x DDT.

Os compostos organoclorados causam grande impacto na natureza devido a três características básicas: persistência ambiental, bioacumulação e alta toxicidade. Os mamíferos marinhos estão entre os organismos mais vulneráveis à toxicidade crônica desses contaminantes porque, além de concentrá-los em grande quantidade, a fêmea transfere parte de sua carga ao filhote durante a gestação e a lactação. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivos otimizar uma metodologia para determinação de organoclorados (pesticidas e PCBs) em matrizes gordurosas e verificar a ocorrência dos mesmos na gordura subcutânea de mamíferos marinhos amostrados na costa de São Paulo (Brasil) e na Ilha Rei George (Antártica). No protocolo metodológico otimizado, a extração foi realizada em extrator Soxhlet (8 h) com uma mistura de n-hexano e diclorometano. A etapa de purificação foi feita através de tratamento ácido e o extrato final analisado em cromatógrafo a gás equipado com detector de captura de elétrons (GC-ECD). A performance do método foi avaliada com material de referência certificado, enquadrando-se dentro de padrões internacionais de controle de qualidade. O limite de detecção do método foi em média 2 ng g-1. As análises apontaram DDTs e PCBs como os grupos que mais causam impacto nos cetáceos da costa de São Paulo. Isso refletiu o histórico de ambos no Brasil, tanto em indústria como em agricultura e saúde pública. Em contrapartida, HCHs e HCB não apresentaram concentrações elevadas, fato que pode ser atribuído à volatilidade dos mesmos em regiões de clima tropical. Da mesma maneira, a-clordano, g-clordano e mirex não foram detectados em níveis significativos. A foca de Weddell (Leptonychotes weddelli), habitante do continente antártico, evidenciou as menores cargas de contaminante entre os animais estudados. As toninhas (Pontoporia blainvillei) e o golfinho-nariz-de-garrafa (Tursiops truncatus) também apresentaram baixos níveis de organoclorados. Os botos-cinza (Sotalia fluviatilis) revelaram concentrações de DDT iguais ou superiores a cetáceos da Índia, país onde esse pesticida ainda não está proibido. Já o golfinho-de-dentes-rugosos (Steno bredanensis) mostrou a maior contaminação entre os animais analisados, comparável a espécies estudadas em águas costeiras de países desenvolvidos (onde os organoclorados foram muito utilizados). / Organochlorine compounds cause strong impact on the nature, as a consequence of three basic characteristics: environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and high toxicity. The marine mammals are one of the most vulnerable organisms to the chronic toxicity of these contaminants. Besides the high concentration in the body, the female transfers part of her load to the offspring during gestation and lactation. The aim of this study was (1) the optimization of a methodology for determining chlorinated hydrocarbons (pesticides and PCBs) in fatty biological matrices and (2) the analysis of organochlorines in marine mammals blubber sampled along São Paulo coast (Brazil) and King George Island (Antarctica). According to the optimized methodology, the extraction was carried out in Soxhlet apparatus (8 h) with a mixture of n-hexane and dichloromethane. The clean-up was carried out with acid treatment and the resulting extract injected into gas chromatography coupled to electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The method performance was evaluated with certified reference material and fitted for international standards of control quality. The mean method detection limit was 2 ng g-1. DDTs and PCBs were the most concentrated organochlorines in the cetaceans from São Paulo coast. These findings reflected their past usage in Brazil by industry, agriculture, and public health. On the other hand, both HCHs and HCB were not found in high concentration likely due to their volatility in tropical climate areas. Mirex, a-chlordane and g-chlordane were not detected in elevated levels. The Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli), from Antarctic continent, presented the smallest load among the studied animals. As the same way, the franciscanas (Pontoporia blainvillei) and the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) presented low organochlorine levels. The marine tucuxi (Sotalia fluviatilis) showed equal or higher DDT concentration than Indian cetaceans where that pesticide is still in use. The rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis) revealed the greatest contamination among the analyzed animals, comparable to species studied in the coastal waters of developed countries (where organochlorines were extensively used).

Levels of underwater noise in the open ocean have been increasing since at least the 1960s due to growth in global shipping traffic and the speed and propulsion power of vessels. This rise in noise levels reduces the range over which vocal marine species can communicate, and can induce physiological stress and behavioural responses, which may ultimately have population-level consequences. Although long-term noise trends have been studied at some open-ocean sites, in shallower coastal regions the high spatiotemporal variability of noise levels presents a substantial methodological challenge, and trends in these areas are poorly understood. This thesis addresses this challenge by introducing new techniques which combine multiple data sources for ship noise assessment in coastal waters. These data include Automatic Identification System (AIS) ship-tracking data, shore-based time-lapse footage, meteorological data, and tidal data. Two studies are presented: in the first, AIS data and acoustic recordings from Falmouth Bay in the western English Channel are combined using an adaptive threshold, which separates ship passages from background noise in the acoustic data. These passages are then cross-referenced with AIS vessel tracks, and the noise exposure associated with shipping activity is then determined. The second study, at a site in the Moray Firth, Scotland, expanded the method to include shore-based time-lapse footage, which enables visual corroboration of vessel identifications and the production of videos integrating the various data sources. Two further studies examine and enhance basic analysis techniques for ambient noise monitoring. The first study examines averaging metrics and their applicability to the assessment of noise from shipping. Long-term data from the VENUS observatory are empirically assessed for different averaging times and in the presence of outliers. It is concluded that the mean sound pressure level averaged in linear space is most appropriate, in terms of both standardization and relevance to impacts on marine fauna. In the second study, a new technique for the statistical analysis of long-term passive acoustic datasets, termed spectral probability density (SPD), is introduced. It is shown that the SPD can reveal characteristics such as multimodality, outlier influence, and persistent self-noise, which are not apparent using conventional techniques. This helps to interpret long-term datasets, and can indicate whether an instrument’s dynamic range is appropriate to field conditions. Taken together, the contributions presented in this thesis help to establish a stronger methodological basis for the assessment of shipping noise. These methods can help to inform emerging policy initiatives, efforts to standardise underwater noise measurements, and investigation into the effects of shipping noise on marine life.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-12-12T12:19:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Suliano Ferrasso_.pdf: 13509868 bytes, checksum: db714eb0da38099d01211d65c9c973e6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-12T12:19:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Suliano Ferrasso_.pdf: 13509868 bytes, checksum: db714eb0da38099d01211d65c9c973e6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-10-26 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / Os pinípedes são carnívoros marinhos que iniciam sua história evolutiva no Oligoceno médio, em torno de 65 milhões de anos. Eles ocorrem em praticamente todos os oceanos do mundo e vem interagindo com populações humanas desde a pré-história em várias regiões do globo. Para a costa brasileira já foram registradas oito espécies de pinípedes, das quais sete já foram encontradas no litoral do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). A partir da análise de remanescentes ósseos resgatados em sítios arqueológicos, sugere-se que os registros pretéritos de pinípedes na costa do Brasil estariam associados aos depósitos do Quaternário. Para o RS são poucos os trabalhos versando sobre osteologia de pinípedes, na maioria são estudos cranianos com amostras atuais sobre diagnose ou ainda dimorfismo sexual, mas muito pouco relacionado à remanescentes arqueológicos. Neste sentido é necessário um aprofundamento sobre a composição das espécies, abundância de indivíduos, ocorrência e tipo de interação destas espécies com grupos humanos pré-históricos. Para tanto o presente estudo foi realizado em cinco sítios arqueológicos do litoral Norte do Rio Grande do Sul (LNRS), localizados entre Xangri-lá (29°47'23.72"S; 50°02'1824"W) e Arroio do Sal (29°27'0.27"S; 49°49'1.74"W), os quais estavam vinculados á Tradição Sambaqui. O método de prospecção (escavação) seguiu o de cortes horizontais artificiais nivelados, aprofundando verticalmente, formando níveis artificiais sucessivos para assegurar a profundidade e origem dos remanescentes faunísticos. O volume de material prospectado nos cinco sítios variou entre 0,30 m3 e ± 15,18 m3. Neste estudo, foram selecionadas seis quadrículas com remanescentes faunísticos dos cinco sítios para análise, cada uma diferindo em tamanho e espessura estratigráfica arqueológica. Todos os remanescentes ósseos encontrados em cada quadrícula foram coletados nas trincheiras escavadas e levados para triagem e tombamento na Reserva Técnica de Arqueologia do Instituto Anchietano de Pesquisas/Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (IAP-UNISINOS). Durante a triagem em laboratório foram selecionados para este estudo exclusivamente os remanescentes de pinípedes, com base na comparação com esqueletos de espécimes de espécies atuais e da literatura. Como resultado de riqueza taxonômica sob a ótica da zooarqueologia (NISP), foram encontrados 159 remanescentes de pinípedes nos sítios do LNRS, totalizando um MNI de 17 indivíduos. O sítio RS-LN-19 de Xangri-lá apresentou o maior NISP com 130 remanescentes, unicamente da família Otariidae e com pelo menos duas espécies identificadas (Arctocephalus australis e Otaria flavescens). A análise dos remanescentes ósseos do gênero Arctocephalus revelou o predomínio de indivíduos jovens, e adultos em O. flavescens. Este resultado na composição pretérita das espécies de pinípedes encontrados nos sambaquis no litoral do RS sugere que são as mesmas que ocorrem na atualidade, além de indicar que as antigas populações humanas já interagiam com estes animais. Contudo, não se descarta a hipótese de que otariídeos antárticos e subantárticos também tenham ocorrido na região no passado, já que em alguns casos só foi possível chegar até a identificação de gênero nos remanescentes analisados. Por fim, é importante salientar que em 19,53% (n = 25) dos remanescentes ósseos encontrados, foram identificadas marcas de manipulação antrópica como corte (pequenas incisões oblíquas, transversais e subparalelas) e 5,46% (n = 7) coloração enegrecida possivelmente oriunda da queima. Desta forma sugere-se que as antigas populações humanas do LNRS poderiam utilizar os pinípedes como recurso alimentar ocasional. / Pinnipeds are marine carnivores that emerged in the mid-Oligocene, around 65 million years ago. They occur in virtually every ocean in the world and have been interacting with human populations since prehistory in various regions of the globe. For the Brazilian coast eight species of pinnipeds have already been recorded, of which seven have been found on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul. Based on the analysis of bone remnants recovered at archaeological sites, it is suggested that the past records of pinnipeds on the coast of Brazil would be associated with Quaternary deposits. For the Rio Grande do Sul state coast there are few studies on osteology of pinnipeds, mostly diagnostic or sexual dimorphism studies base on skull samples of current species but there is very little information related to archaeological remnants of pinnipeds. In this context, it is still necessary the analyses of the species composition, abundance of individuals, occurrence and type of interaction of these species with prehistoric humans in the region. The present study was carried out in five archaeological sites on the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul (NCRS), between Xangri-la (29 ° 47'23.72 "S, 50 ° 02'1824" W) and Arroio do Sal 29 ° 27'0.27 "S, 49 ° 49'1.74" W), which were linked to the Sambaqui Tradition. The method of prospecting (excavation) was used in order to obatin several artificial horizontal levels, deepening vertically, forming successive artificial levels to assure the depth and origin of the faunistic remnants. The volume of material prospected at these five sites ranged from 0.30 m3 to ± 15.18 m3. In this study, six squares with faunal remnants of the five sites were selected for analysis, each differing in size and archaeological stratigraphic thickness. All the bone remains found in each square were collected in the excavated trenches and taken to the Archaeological Technical Reserve of the Instituto Anchietano de Pesquisas / Vale do Rio dos Sinos (IAP-UNISINOS). During the laboratory screening, only the remnants of pinnipeds were selected for this study, based on the comparison with skeletons of specimens of current species and the literature. As a result of taxonomic richness from the perspective of zooarchaeology, 159 remnants of pinnipeds were found as number of idenfied specimens (NISP) in the NCRS sites, totaling a minimum number of individuals (MNI) of 17. The RS-LN-19 site of Xangri-la presented the largest NISP, with 130 remnants only for the Otariidae Family, and with at least two identified species (Arctocephalus australis and Otaria flavescens). The analysis of the bone remnants of the genus Arctocephalus revealed the predominance of young individuals, and mainly adults of O. flavescens. This result in the past composition of the pinniped species found in the sambaquis in the RS coast suggests that they are the same that occur today, besides indicating that the ancient human populations already interacted with these animals. However, it is not ruled out that Antarctic and subantarctic antarctic have also occurred in the region in the past, since in some cases it was only possible to identify until the genus in the remnants analyzed. Finally, it is important to note that in 19.53% (n = 25) of the remaining bone remnants, anthropic manipulation marks were identified as cut (small oblique, transverse and subparallel incisions) and 5.46% (n = 7) blackened spots, possibly dut to burning. In this way, it is suggested that the ancient human populations of NCRS could use pinnipeds as an occasional food resource.

Marine mammals comprise a paraphyletic group of species whose current abundance and distribution has been greatly shaped by past environmental changes and anthropogenic impacts. This thesis describes molecular ecological approaches to answer questions regarding habitat requirements, genetic differentiation, and life-history trade-offs in three species of marine mammals.  The annual sea-ice dynamics of the Arctic may have large effects on the abundance and distribution of Arctic species such as the pagophilic ringed seal (Pusa hispida). Paper I describes and applies a simple molecular method for isolating and characterizing a relatively large set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ringed seal. These SNPs have been genotyped in a yet-to-be-analysed dataset which will form the basis in an assessment of the micro-evolutionary effects of annual sea-ice dynamics on ringed seal.  Current management efforts directed towards the North Atlantic fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) are hampered by an unclear understanding of population structure. Paper II investigates the DNA basis for the high levels of genetic differentiation that have been reported in allozyme studies of the North Atlantic fin whale. We find that additional processes (at the organismal level) may have contributed to shaping the phenotype of the underlying allozyme variation. Telomeres may potentially serve as markers for determining the chronological and biological age of animals where other means of inference is difficult. Paper III describes the application and evaluation of four qPCR assays for telomere length estimation in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), finding that reliable telomere length estimates require extensive quality control. Paper IV applies the best performing qPCR assay to test whether telomeres may provide a method for genetic determination of chronological age in whales and concludes that the biological and experimental variation in telomere length estimates is too large to determine age with sufficient resolution. Finally, because telomere length and rate of telomere loss also may be affected by other cellular and organismal processes, such as resource allocation among self-maintenance mechanisms, growth and reproduction, Paper V describes the correlations between individual telomere length and rate of telomere loss, and sex, maturity status and female reproductive output. We found that the costs of reproduction in terms of telomere loss are higher in mature humpback whales than in juveniles; that reproductive costs are higher in males than females; and that differences among females tend to correlate with reproductive output. / At the time of doctoral defence the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Submitted; Paper 3:Submitted; Paper 4: Manuscript; Paper 5:Manuscript

Whales and dolphins, especially small cetaceans which inhabit rivers and coastal waters, are under the threats from environmental change, habitat destruction, and pollution. Since previous studies haven¡¦t deeply explored the relationship between marine mammal conservation and fishery catches, in this study, we focused on the objective is on the correlation between fishery catches and feeding sources of Chinese white dolphin. About 17 years (1993-2009) of fish catch data from fishery annual reports in the six counties (from Miaoli to Tainan) along the western coast of Taiwan, was used as the data source of the meta-analysis, which set four major prey categories of Chinese white dolphin, i.e., primary prey fish, secondary prey fish, potential prey fish and other prey fish. The study showed the following nine results. First of all, the change of total amount of fish production in six counties was changing irregularly¡Fin recent years, the amount of potential prey fish and other prey fish catches were increasing. Secondly, the decline of primary prey fish was due to the reduced production of Mugilidae . Thirdly, the secondary prey fish catch formed the major catches during 1999-2004 while Sparidae species was the dominated species. The potential prey fish amount was consistent, except in 1994 when Chanidae production was extremely high, making it the major components species. In accordance with Chinese white dolphin distribution hot spot, north hot spot primary prey fish families were Sciaenidae and Trichiuridae. In addition, the amount of south hot spot was irregularly distributing during 1999-2004. For the non-hot spot in the Changhua¡¦s coast, the prey fish production of Mugilidae was decreasing year by year and the non-hot spot in the Tainan¡¦s coast, the prey fish was mainly composed of other prey fish after 2002. However, in these 17 years, the number of fishing vessels increased, yet the total catch decreased. This may imply that the coastal fishery resources is depleted. The discussion on improvement about the fishery annual report and prey resources investigation were also made. At the last, we proposed two suggestions on the issues about hot spot management and enhancing fishery resources restoration.

<p>There have been few efforts to evaluate the actual and perceived effectiveness of environmental management programs created by consensus-based, multi-stakeholder negotiation or negotiated rulemaking. Previous evaluations have used perceived success among participants as a proxy for actual effectiveness, but seldom have investigated the ecological outcomes of these negotiations. Fewer still, if any, have compared the actual and perceived outcomes. Here I evaluate and compare the social and ecological outcomes of the negotiated rulemaking process of marine mammal take reduction planning. Take reduction planning is mandated by the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to reduce the fisheries-related serious injuries and mortalities of marine mammals (bycatch) in U.S. waters to below statutory thresholds. Teams of fishermen, environmentalists, researchers, state and federal managers, and members of Regional Fisheries Management Councils and Commissions create consensus-based rules to mitigate bycatch, called Take Reduction Plans. There are six active Take Reduction Plans, one Take Reduction Strategy consisting of voluntary measures, and one plan that was never implemented. It has been 20 years since marine mammal take reduction planning was incorporated into the MMPA. Early evaluations were promising, but identified several challenges. In the past decade or more, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has implemented measures to set up the teams for success.</p><p>I used data from formal Stock Assessment Reports to assess and rank the actual ecological success of five Take Reduction Plans (Harbor Porpoise, Bottlenose Dolphin, Atlantic Large Whale, Pelagic Longline, and Pacific Offshore Cetacean) in mitigating the bycatch of 17 marine mammal stocks. In addition, I employed social science data collection and analytical methods to evaluate Take Reduction Team participants' opinions of the take reduction negotiation process, outputs, and outcomes with respect to the ingredients required for successful multi-stakeholder, consensus-based negotiation (team membership, shared learning, repeated interactions, facilitated meetings, and consensus-based outputs). These methods included surveying and interviewing current and former Take Reduction Team participants; using Structural Equation Models (SEMs) and qualitative methods to characterize participant perceptions across teams and stakeholder groups; and identifying and exploring the reasons for similarities and differences among respondents, teams, and stakeholder groups. I also employed SEMs to quantitatively examine the relationship between actual and perceived ecological success, and contrasted actual and perceived outcomes by comparing their qualitative rankings.</p><p>Structural Equation Models provided a valid framework in which to quantitatively examine social and ecological data, in which the actual ecological outcomes were used as independent predictors of the perceived outcomes. Actual improvements in marine mammal bycatch enhanced stakeholder opinions about the effectiveness of marine mammal Take Reduction Plans. The marine mammal take reduction planning process has all of the ingredients necessary for effective consensus-based, multi-stakeholder negotiations (Chapter 2). It is likely that the emphasis that the National Marine Fisheries Service places on empirical information and keeping stakeholders informed about bycatch, marine mammal stocks, and fisheries facilitated this relationship. Informed stakeholders also had relatively accurate perceptions of the actual ecological effectiveness of the Take Reduction Plans (Chapter 3). The long timeframes over which the teams have been meeting generally have increased cooperation. The professionally trained, neutral facilitators have produced fair negotiations, in which most individuals felt they had an opportunity to contribute. Participant views of fairness significantly influenced their satisfaction with Take Reduction Plans, which significantly affected their perceptions about the effectiveness of those plans (Chapter 2). The mandate to create a consensus-based output has, for the most part, minimized defections from the negotiations and facilitated stakeholder buy-in. </p><p>In general, marine mammal take reduction planning is a good negotiated rulemaking process, but has produced mixed results (Chapters 1 and 2). Successful plans were characterized by straightforward regulations and high rates of compliance. Unsuccessful plans had low compliance with complex regulations and sometimes focused on very small stocks. Large teams and those in the northeastern U.S. (Maine to North Carolina) were least successful at reducing bycatch, which was reflected in stakeholder views of the effectiveness of these teams. Take Reduction Team negotiations have not always produced practical or enforceable regulations. Implementation of take reduction regulations is critical in determining plan success and identifying effective mitigation measures, but because of a lack of monitoring, has not been characterized consistently across most teams. Additionally, elements like the "Other Special Measures Provision" in the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan have undermined the negotiation process by allowing the National Marine Fisheries Service to alter consensus-based elements without consensus from the team, which has led to hostility, mistrust, and frustration among stakeholders. </p><p>The final chapter of this dissertation provides recommendations to improve the outcomes and make them more consistent across teams. I based these recommendations on the information gathered and analyzed in the first three chapters. They are grouped into four broad categories - team membership, social capital, fairness, and plan implementation. If the National Marine Fisheries Service implements these suggestions, both perceived and actual ecological effectiveness of marine mammal Take Reduction Teams should improve, allowing these teams to fulfill their maximum potential.</p> / Dissertation

To positively identify marine mammals using passive acoustics, large volumes of data are often collected that need to be processed by a trained analyst. To reduce acoustic analyst workload, an automatic detector can be implemented that produces many detections, which feed into an automatic classifier to significantly reduce the number of false detections. This requires the development of a robust classifier capable of performing inter-species classification as well as discriminating cetacean vocalizations from anthropogenic noise sources. A prototype aural classifier was developed at Defence Research and Development Canada that uses perceptual signal features which model the features employed by the human auditory system. The dataset included anthropogenic passive transients and vocalizations from five cetacean species: bowhead, humpback, North Atlantic right, minke and sperm whales. Discriminant analysis was implemented to replace principal component analysis; the projection obtained using discriminant analysis improved between-species discrimination during multiclass cetacean classification, compared to principal component analysis. The aural classifier was able to successfully identify the vocalizing cetacean species. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) is used to quantify the two-class classifier performance and the M-measure is used when there are three or more classes; the maximum possible value of both AUC and M is 1.00 – which is indicative of an ideal classifier model. Accurate classification results were obtained for multiclass classification of all species in the dataset (M = 0.99), and the challenging bowhead/ humpback (AUC = 0.97) and sperm whale click/anthropogenic transient (AUC = 1.00) two-class classifications.

This thesis is an investigation into, and a gathering of evidence on, the various ways in which two iconic species, whales and elephants, and the two conventions which govern their management, the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) and the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), are linked in international law and politics. After explaining the nature of international conventions governing wildlife species generally, the respective histories of the two conventions are considered: first, that of the ICRW is considered, together with its strengths, weaknesses and current position; after which a similar assessment is made of CITES. The history of linkage between the two is considered, including attempts made to use the one to undercut the other. Various aspects of the protection, use and management of the two species are then canvassed; and it is shown how important political actors hold apparently mutually exclusive views. Throughout, the position of South Africa is particularly considered. The importance of protecting biological diversity is then considered, together with the potential harmonising role of the 1989 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the political stances of various countries, together with ongoing analysis of efforts to effect change. The natures of whales and elephants as symbols, and as special animals, are then considered. In conclusion, it is explained that both treaties could work if the political drive was present - but that this is currently absent, and the environment is suffering whilst politicians argue over the best courses to follow to protect natural resources. It is suggested that the reason that the arguments in respect of whales and elephants, the ICRW and CITES, are so bitter is because so much is at stake - for the fight on this battleground is not simply about the particular species, but the course the world as a whole should follow in all of its use of natural resources. Understanding the links between species and between treaties helps us to understand alternative possible courses. By exploring one such set of links that has not previously been analysed, the research presented in this thesis is intended to make a contribution to that understanding (both internationally and within South Africa). / Thesis (LL.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.