Abstract
This workshop met at the El Panama Hotel, Panama City, Panama June 8-10, 2012.
The Scientific Committee of the IWC has over the last few decades developed research programmes and workshops on environmental subjects. Recently it started to consider marine renewable energy developments noting that they are increasing rapidly worldwide and that baseline data on the impact of interactions with cetaceans are lacking. This workshop aimed to identify research needs and formulate recommendations for research, monitoring, conservation and management.
A variety of marine renewable energy devices (MREDs) are being deployed around the world, with the highest concentrations in the northern hemisphere, especially in northern Europe. The three main forms of MREDs are wind farms, tidal-stream driven devices and wave energy converters. Each of these, as well as the supporting infrastructure, have potential for interaction with cetaceans during the construction, operation and decommissioning phases. The possible interactions include the impact of noise, collisions and entanglements in tethering lines.
The workshop considered in particular the current state of development of marine renewable energy in waters off Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States. For the identification of the effects of construction and operation of wind farms, tidal devices and wave energy, the workshop drew on/ used a background document based on the work of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) Working Group on Marine Mammal Ecology.
The main recommendations from the workshop are:
1. Strategy to minimise risk Risks from both lethal and sub-lethal effects can be minimised via a series of actions: the collection, collation and analysis of appropriate baseline cetacean data and appropriate industrial data will allow the identification and quantification of threats and their potential implications for conservation objectives. All stakeholders need to be involved from the outset such that impacts from all factors are considered, ensuring that appropriate mitigation measures and associated monitoring programmes are developed. Suitable scientific evaluation and compliance mechanisms are needed to ensure that mitigation and monitoring are adequate.
2. Broad management Governments, managers and other stakeholders need to co-operate in strategic planning for MREDs taking into account the trans-boundary nature of cetaceans. Uncertainties over the level of impacts require a staged approach to developments taking into account lessons learned from other developments and other human activities that affect cetaceans, in order to be adequately precautionary.
3. “Fundamental” research International collaboration will be required to determine population structure, status, distribution and procedures for assessing impacts. The Committee can assist with design and evaluation of population and impact assessments. While there are established methods for assessing lethal takes, data on the effects of (sub-lethal) stressors on cetaceans are also needed.
4. Evaluation of threats All lethal and non-lethal impacts of human activities should be considered in an integrated manner, e.g. using modelling approaches that take into account the cumulative impacts from all threats when evaluating whether conservation objectives are likely to be met. The Committee has considerable expertise in developing management frameworks and testing their performance against specified objectives.
5. Monitoring Monitoring should be designed carefully, to assess impacts against pre-determined conservation objectives and to measure the efficacy of any mitigation measures that are implemented.
6. Data sharing and the future role of the IWC Scientific Committee in the consideration of MREDs Improved information and data-sharing were identified as key, and the workshop encouraged the Committee to continue to act as a forum to review the development of MREDs and their implications SC/64/Rep6 Rev1 Revised 13/8/12 2 for cetaceans, including promoting the sharing of data. Countries were encouraged to help in this by providing appropriate information.