Watching out for whales: industry responsibility to address threats to Arabian Sea humpback whales, Gulf of Masirah, Oman
Year
2015
Secondary title
Report presented to the 66th meeting of the International Whaling Commission
Place Published
San Diego
Pages
10
Keywords
Arabian Sea, humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, mitigation, seismic, ship strike, vessel traffic
Abstract
Research on Arabian Sea humpback whales in Oman over the past 15 years has revealed that the Gulf of Masirah is a hot spot for this Endangered population and the only part of its known range where males and females are found at near parity. This information has been used by a partnership of industry, consultancy and NGO in Oman to develop mitigation related to port operations and hydrocarbon exploration in the area. This has included the development of a Whale Management and Mitigation Programme to be implemented by the Port of Duqm Company, as well as mitigation procedures that were used by a seismic survey contractor in late 2014. Impacts to whales nevertheless remain, including a collision between seismic equipment and a whale in December 2014, suggesting that further development of protection measures for the Arabian Sea humpback whale is still required.
