Occurrence and distribution of marine wildlife in the Bremer Bay region, Western Australia, Australia (2017)

Cetaceans are some of the most iconic animals on the planet, yet few of the 45 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises known to occur in Australian waters have been extensively studied to date. Historical commercial whaling records and recent modelling studies suggest that the submarine canyons within and around the Bremer Marine Park provide favourable habitats for a number of cetaceans, including sperm, beaked, and killer whales. The latter have been reported to concentrate in unprecedented numbers in the Bremer Sub-Basin over the austral summer months, forming what is likely the largest seasonal aggregation of the species in the Southern Hemisphere. However, little data on the animals’ ecology, population abundance, or movements currently exist, and while the majority of killer whale encounters have occurred around the heads of the Knob and Henry Canyons to date, it remains unclear whether this area represents a discrete and unique hotspot or whether the Bremer Marine Park may support additional aggregations.
Under the NESP Emerging Priorities scheme, the Minister for the Environment and Energy, the Honourable Josh Frydenberg MP, accordingly committed research funds to the Marine Biodiversity Hub (MBH) to assess the extent and likely drivers of the Bremer megafauna hotspot, which is currently fueling a rapidly growing tourism industry. As part of the programme, aerial surveys were implemented to assess the presence, numbers, behaviour and distribution of large air-breathing vertebrates throughout the region. The resulting data provide a critical baseline for understanding when and how cetaceans and other charismatic predators use the Bremer Marine Park. Such knowledge is key to helping managers and policy-makers meet national legislative requirements regarding the adequate conservation of Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) listed species

鲸类（Cetaceans）是地球上最具标志性的动物类群之一，但迄今已知栖息于澳大利亚海域的45种鲸、海豚和鼠海豚中，仅有极少数被开展过深入研究。历史商业捕鲸记录与近期模拟研究表明，布雷默海洋公园（Bremer Marine Park）内部及周边的海底峡谷为包括抹香鲸、喙鲸与虎鲸在内的多种鲸类提供了适宜栖息环境。其中虎鲸在南半球夏季期间于布雷默海盆（Bremer Sub-Basin）内的聚集数量创下纪录，形成了南半球该物种规模最大的季节性聚集群。然而目前关于这些动物的生态学特征、种群丰度或移动模式的相关数据仍十分匮乏；尽管迄今多数虎鲸目击记录均集中于诺布峡谷（Knob Canyon）与亨利峡谷（Henry Canyon）的峡口周边区域，但目前仍无法确定这片区域是否为一处独立独特的热点栖息地，亦或是布雷默海洋公园内还存在其他潜在的聚集区域。
在国家环境科学计划（NESP）新兴优先事项框架下，澳大利亚环境与能源部长尊敬的约什·弗莱登伯格议员为此向海洋生物多样性中心（Marine Biodiversity Hub, MBH）拨付研究经费，以评估布雷默巨型动物热点区域的分布范围及其潜在驱动因素——该区域目前正推动着当地旅游业的快速发展。作为该项目的一部分，研究团队开展了航空调查，以评估整个研究区域内大型空气呼吸脊椎动物的存在情况、种群数量、行为模式与分布格局。所获取的调查数据为理解鲸类及其他标志性捕食者何时、如何利用布雷默海洋公园提供了关键基准。此类认知对于帮助管理者与政策制定者满足《1999年环境保护与生物多样性保护法案》（Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, EPBC Act）中关于充分保护名录物种的国家立法要求至关重要。