Identifying and Protecting Important Habitat

One of the most effective ways to protect marine mammals from a variety of impacts is to minimize or prevent those impacts from occurring in particularly important habitat areas (e.g. breeding and feeding areas, or migratory routes).

Studying marine mammals poses a variety of challenges to researchers - they exhibit complex behaviors and life histories, react in sometimes unexpected ways to their environment, and often inhabit extremely large home ranges, including areas offshore, which are challenging to sample in a systematic way. Marine mammal researchers need to employ a variety of different techniques - acoustics, satellite telemetry, genetics, stable isotopes, and habitat models, to name a few - to try to understand and protect them. I am interested in integrating these data types to better understand important habitat for marine mammals and directly inform management and conservation. 

A large part of my work at NRDC also involves synthesizing a broad array of scientific information from the literature and interviewing scientific experts to identify areas of the ocean that are particularly important for marine mammals. I then assess how vulnerable these areas are to human impacts. This information is used collectively by the Marine Mammal Protection Project to advocate for improved marine mammal protections against a range of impacts, including ocean noise (principally seismic exploration, sonar, shipping, and offshore wind energy development) and fisheries bycatch.

To learn more about the work the Marine Mammal Protection Project is doing visit my NRDC Expert Blog.

To learn more about the impacts of ocean noise and what we can do about them, visit SonicSea.org.

RELATED OUTPUTS

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

Chou E., Kershaw F., Maxwell SM., Collins T., Strindberg S., and Rosenbaum HC. (2020). Distribution of breeding humpback whale habitats and overlap with cumulative anthropogenic impacts in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic. Diversity and Distributions, 26, 549-564. [.PDF]

Montanari S., Kershaw F., and Rosenbaum HC. (2020). Feeding ecology and population delineation of south-eastern Atlantic and south-western Indian Ocean humpback whales using stable isotope analysis. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 30, 486-496. [.PDF]

Rosenbaum HC., Maxwell S., Kershaw F., and Mate B. (2014). Long-range movement of humpback whales and their overlap with anthropogenic activity in the South Atlantic Ocean. Conservation Biology, 28(2), 604-615. [.PDF]

Kershaw F., Waller T., Micucci P., Draque J., Barros M., Buongermini E., Pearson RG., and Mendez M. (2013). Informing conservation units: barriers to dispersal for the yellow anaconda. Diversity and Distributions, 19(9), 1164-1174. [.PDF] [Appendix S1]

POLICY PAPERS & TECHNICAL REPORTS

Sommerkorn, M., Suatoni, L., Strickler, S., Norris, S., Wenzel L., and Kershaw F. PAME MPA-network toolbox: Area-based conservation measures and ecological connectivity. Guidance document to the Arctic Council. In review.

presentations & other media

Trudelle L., Adam O., Andrews-Goff V., Andriolo A., Cerchio S., Charrassin J-B., Clapham P., Daniewicz D., Diazgranados MC., Double M., Dulau V., Fayan J., Fossette S., Friedlaender A., Garrigue C., Geyer Y., Guzman H., Hauser N., Heide-Jorgensen MP., Jung J-L., Kershaw F., Mayer F-X., Rosenbaum H., Sallee J-B., Sucunza F., Vely M., and Zerbini A. (2019). Assessing the wintering range of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) using satellite telemetry. Oral presentation. World Marine Mammal Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 11th December, 2019.

Kershaw F., Avila I., Chou E., Curtice C., Gallon S., Halpin P., Heywood E., Jimenez Lopez ME., Kot CY., Nelson A., Puig P., Rekdahl M., Rice AR., Rosenbaum HC., Tetley M., Valenzuela L., Van Bellingham T., Waples K., and Williamson L. (2019). Interpreting multiple types of geospatial scientific information to protect marine mammals: A practical guide for decision-makers. Oral presentation. World Marine Mammal Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 10th December, 2019.

Kershaw F. (2017). A collaborative approach to developing guidance for marine mammal protection: North Atlantic right whales and offshore wind development on the U.S. East Coast. Workshop presentation. 4th International Marine Protected Areas Congress, La Serena, Chile, 8th September, 2017.

Kershaw, F. (2017). Opportunities for reducing noise pollution through engagement with industry: 1) Protecting North Atlantic right whales during offshore wind development, 2) Quieting ships in the Salish Sea. Workshop presentation. 4th International Marine Protected Areas Congress, La Serena, Chile, 7th September, 2017.

Kershaw F. (2017). Towards acoustically healthy habitats for marine animal: an NGO perspective. Keynote presentation. Oceanoise 2017, Vilanova í la Geltrú, Barcelona, Spain, 5th May, 2017.

Rosenbaum HC. and Kershaw F. (2016). Approaches and considerations for understanding connectivity for marine mammals using various techniques. Invited Presentation. Arctic Council/PAME workshop - Science and tools for developing Arctic MPA networks: Understanding connectivity and identifying management models. Washington D.C., 22nd September, 2016.   

Rosenbaum H.C.*, Maxwell S. M., Kershaw F., and Mate B. (2014). Long-range movement of humpback whales and their overlap with anthropogenic activity in the South Atlantic Ocean. Oral presentation, IMCC3, Glasgow, Scotland, 18th August 2014.

Kershaw F., Waller T., Pearson R.G., and Mendez M. (2012). The value of expert-driven niche models and historical records in informing the sustainable harvest of yellow anaconda in northern Argentina. Oral presentation. Ecological Society of America, Portland, Oregon, 9th August 2012.

Kershaw F., Waller T., Pearson R.G., and Mendez M. (2011). Ecological niche characterization of the Yellow Anaconda. Poster presentation, Student Conference on Conservation Science - New York, New York, USA, 12-14 October 2011.