Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada
Volume 11, Número 4, Dezembro 2011, Páginas 409-419

DOI: 10.5894/rgci251
Submission: February 18, 2011; Evaluation: April, 11, 2011; Reception of revised version: June 17, 2011; Accepted: August 15, 2011; Available on-line: October 19, 2011

Effectiveness of Monitoring Marine Mammals during Marine Seismic Surveys off Northeast Brazil

Efetividade do Monitoramento de Mamíferos Marinhos durante Prospecções Sísmicas no Nordeste do Brasil

Cristiano Leite Parente^{@, 1}, Maria Elisabeth de Araújo¹

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@ - Corresponding author: cristiano.parente@gmail.com
1 - Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Oceanografia, Recife, PE, Brazil. Correspondence address: Av. Poeta Vinícius Moraes, 1029 - Bairro Atalaia CEP 49037-490. Aracaju/SE, Brazil

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ABSTRACT
The possible behavioral and physical problems involving marine mammals and marine seismic surveys have attracted the interest and concern of several authors. The Brazilian government has required Geophysical Companies to monitor marine mammals in order to: 1) avoid colisions with cetaceans and manatees; 2) record the effects of noise sources on the temporal and spatial distribution and abundance of marine mammals in the area of seismic survey; and 3) record the individual behavior response of cetaceans and manatees to seismic air-gun shots. As a consequence of this requirement, the effectiveness of monitoring marine mammals was evaluated during ocean-bottom-cable seismic surveys carried out during 2002 and 2003 of the northeastern coast of Brazil. This evaluation was based on the analysis of results from visual surveys and applied methodology considering the monitoring effort, visibility conditions, observers’ experience, and observed marine mammal behaviors as indicator of its effectiveness. The monitoring procedures were not effective in addressing the concerns of the Brazilian government, and the following adaptations are recommended: more intensive training of marine mammal observers; development of a rigorous quantitative survey protocol; evaluate the functionality of acoustic monitoring techniques as an alternative for the night period; and independent baseline studies and analyses of marine mammal population distribution, density and behavior.

Keywords: Marine mammals; marine seismic survey; effectiveness of visual surveys; environmental management; South America; Northeast Brazil

RESUMO
Muitos autores têm apresentado interesse e preocupação com os possíveis efeitos das prospecções sísmicas no comportamento e fisiologia dos mamíferos marinhos. Por esse motivo o Governo brasileiro tem exigido às Empresas de Geofísica a realização de monitoramento das espécies para: 1) evitar colisões de embarcações com cetáceos e sirênios; 2) registrar os efeitos dos sons na distribuição espaço-temporal e abundância relativa de mamíferos marinhos na área de prospecção e 3) registrar a resposta comportamental individual de cetáceos e sirênios em relação aos disparos dos canhões de ar. Como conseqüência dessas exigências, foi realizada uma avaliação da efetividade do monitoramento de mamíferos marinhos ocorridos durante prospecções sísmicas no nordeste do Brasil entre 2002 e 2003. Esta avaliação foi baseada nos resultados das observações visuais e metodologia aplicada. O esforço de monitoramento, as condições de visibilidade, a experiência dos observadores e as avistagens e comportamentos registrados foram considerados como indicadores. Os resultados indicam que os procedimentos adotados para o monitoramento não foram efetivos para responder aos questionamentos do Governo brasileiro, sendo necessárias as seguintes adaptações: intensificar o treinamento das equipes de observadores, desenvolver protocolo de monitoramento, avaliar técnicas acústicas de monitoramento como alternativa para o período noturno, assim como a realização de estudos independentes para o conhecimento das densidades populacionais e análises do comportamento das espécies.

Palavras-chave: mamíferos marinhos; sísmica marítima; monitoramentos visuais; gerenciamento ambiental; Nordeste do Brasil; América do Sul.

 

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