Abstract
Kealakekua Bay is an important resting site for Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) and is popular with both local residents and tourists. Human activities occurring here include swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and motor-boating. The objectives of this study were to document movement patterns of dolphin groups in Kealakekua Bay, to determine if different types and levels of human activity within the bay result in quantifiable changes in dolphin group movement patterns, and to provide baseline data for future studies. Theodolite tracking was used to assess responses of dolphin groups to human traffic. Variables examined included group mean leg speed (leg speed: the distance between two consecutive theodolite fixes of a dolphin group divided by time; mean leg speed: the average of all leg speeds comprising a track) and group reorientation rate. Swimmers and/or vessels were present within 100 m of all dolphin groups tracked during all surveys. Regression analyses were used to examine potential relationships between dolphin group related variables (e.g., reorientation rate, mean leg speed) and variables related to human activities (e.g., swimming, kayaking, motor-boating). Increasing levels of human activity had a limited but measurable effect on the movement patterns of Hawaiian spinner dolphin groups at this site.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 402-411 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Aquatic Mammals |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Behavior
- Hawaii
- Human traffic
- Kealakekua
- Movement patterns
- Spinner dolphin
- Stenella longirostris
- Theodolite tracking
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Aquatic Science
- Nature and Landscape Conservation
Cite this
Effects of human traffic on the movement patterns of Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) in Kealakekua bay, Hawaii. / Timmel, Gregory; Courbis, Sarah; Sargeant-Green, Holly; Markowitz, Hal.
In: Aquatic Mammals, Vol. 34, No. 4, 2008, p. 402-411.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of human traffic on the movement patterns of Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) in Kealakekua bay, Hawaii
AU - Timmel, Gregory
AU - Courbis, Sarah
AU - Sargeant-Green, Holly
AU - Markowitz, Hal
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Kealakekua Bay is an important resting site for Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) and is popular with both local residents and tourists. Human activities occurring here include swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and motor-boating. The objectives of this study were to document movement patterns of dolphin groups in Kealakekua Bay, to determine if different types and levels of human activity within the bay result in quantifiable changes in dolphin group movement patterns, and to provide baseline data for future studies. Theodolite tracking was used to assess responses of dolphin groups to human traffic. Variables examined included group mean leg speed (leg speed: the distance between two consecutive theodolite fixes of a dolphin group divided by time; mean leg speed: the average of all leg speeds comprising a track) and group reorientation rate. Swimmers and/or vessels were present within 100 m of all dolphin groups tracked during all surveys. Regression analyses were used to examine potential relationships between dolphin group related variables (e.g., reorientation rate, mean leg speed) and variables related to human activities (e.g., swimming, kayaking, motor-boating). Increasing levels of human activity had a limited but measurable effect on the movement patterns of Hawaiian spinner dolphin groups at this site.
AB - Kealakekua Bay is an important resting site for Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) and is popular with both local residents and tourists. Human activities occurring here include swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and motor-boating. The objectives of this study were to document movement patterns of dolphin groups in Kealakekua Bay, to determine if different types and levels of human activity within the bay result in quantifiable changes in dolphin group movement patterns, and to provide baseline data for future studies. Theodolite tracking was used to assess responses of dolphin groups to human traffic. Variables examined included group mean leg speed (leg speed: the distance between two consecutive theodolite fixes of a dolphin group divided by time; mean leg speed: the average of all leg speeds comprising a track) and group reorientation rate. Swimmers and/or vessels were present within 100 m of all dolphin groups tracked during all surveys. Regression analyses were used to examine potential relationships between dolphin group related variables (e.g., reorientation rate, mean leg speed) and variables related to human activities (e.g., swimming, kayaking, motor-boating). Increasing levels of human activity had a limited but measurable effect on the movement patterns of Hawaiian spinner dolphin groups at this site.
KW - Behavior
KW - Hawaii
KW - Human traffic
KW - Kealakekua
KW - Movement patterns
KW - Spinner dolphin
KW - Stenella longirostris
KW - Theodolite tracking
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=71149108271&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=71149108271&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1578/AM.34.4.2008.402
DO - 10.1578/AM.34.4.2008.402
M3 - Article
VL - 34
SP - 402
EP - 411
JO - Aquatic Mammals
JF - Aquatic Mammals
SN - 0167-5427
IS - 4
ER -