Citizen science in the marine environment: A case-study estimating common dolphin densities in the north-east Atlantic
- Published
- Accepted
- Subject Areas
- Conservation Biology, Ecology, Marine Biology, Zoology
- Keywords
- citizen science, cetacean, platforms of opportunity, common dolphin, bycatch, distance sampling, density surface model
- Copyright
- © 2019 Robbins et al.
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ Preprints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2019. Citizen science in the marine environment: A case-study estimating common dolphin densities in the north-east Atlantic. PeerJ Preprints 7:e27569v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.27569v1
Abstract
Background. Citizen science is increasingly popular and has the potential to collect extensive datasets at lower costs than traditional surveys. Ferries have been used to collect data on cetacean populations for decades, providing long-term time series allowing for monitoring of cetacean populations. One cetacean species of concern is the common dolphin, which have been found stranded around the north-east Atlantic in recent years, with high numbers on French coasts being attributed to fisheries bycatch. We estimate common dolphin densities in north-east Atlantic and investigate the power of citizen science data to identify changes in marine mammal densities and areas of importance.
Materials & Methods. Data were collected by citizen scientists on ferries between April and October in 2006 - 2017. Common dolphin sightings data from two ferry routes in the Bay of Biscay (n= 569), Celtic Sea (n= 260), and English Channel (n= 75) were used to estimate detection probabilities with detection functions. Density Surface Models estimated density across ferry routes, accounting for the influence of environmental (chlorophyll a, sea surface temperature, depth, and slope), spatial (latitude and longitude) and temporal terms (year and Julian day).
Results. Overall detection probability was highest in the English Channel (0.384) and Bay of Biscay (0.348), and lowest in the Celtic Sea (0.158). Common dolphins were estimated to occur in higher densities in the Celtic Sea (0.400 per km) and the Bay of Biscay (0.319 per km), with low densities in the English Channel (0.025 per km). Densities in the Celtic Sea have been relatively stable on the ferry route since 2006 with a slight decrease in 2017. Densities peaked in the Bay of Biscay in 2013 with lower numbers since. The general trend in the English Channel is for increasing densities of common dolphins over time since 2009.
Discussion. This study highlights the effectiveness of citizen science data to investigate the distribution and density of cetaceans. The densities and temporal changes shown by this study are representative of those from wider-ranging robust estimates. We highlight the ability of citizen science to collect data over extensive periods of time which complements traditional surveys. Such long-term data are important to identify changes within a population; however, citizen science data may, in some situations, present challenges. We provide recommendations to ensure high-quality data which can be used to inform management and conservation of cetacean populations.
Author Comment
This is a submission to PeerJ for review.
Supplemental Information
Coefficient of variation of common dolphin density estimates in the English Channel
Coefficient of variation of common dolphin density estimates in the Celtic Sea
Coefficient of variation of common dolphin density estimates in the Bay of Biscay
Plot of the GAM smooth fit of abundance with distance to coast in the Bay of Biscay
The solid line represents the best fit, with the grey shaded area representing the 95% confidence intervals. Vertical lines on the x-axis are the observed data values.
Plot of the GAM smooth fit of abundance with depth in the Bay of Biscay
The solid line represents the best fit, with the grey shaded area representing the 95% confidence intervals, which are wide throughout. Vertical lines on the x-axis are the observed data values.
Plot of the GAM smooth fit of abundance with chlorophyll concentration in the Celtic Sea
The solid line represents the best fit, with the grey shaded area representing the 95% confidence intervals which widen with increasing concentrations. Vertical lines on the x-axis are the observed data values.
