Dolpin (16)

Question 1

• When was the Sussex Nearshore Trawling Byelaw introduced?
• What area does it protect?

Answer 1

• March 2021
• It protects the Dolphin Head HPMA south of Selsey by banning trawling within it.

Question 2

• What percentage of kelp forests in Sussex were wiped out by 2019?
• What two things are primarily responsible?

Answer 2

• 96%
• The decline was largely due to the great storm of 1987
• …And bottom-trawling fishing practices

Question 3

Which marine animal populations in Sussex have increased due to the kelp recovery project (4 Points)?

Answer 3

• Lobsters
• Brown crabs
• Angelsharks
• Short-snouted seahorses

Question 4

What significant change has been observed following the Sussex Nearshore Trawling Byelaw?

Answer 4

Expansion of mussel beds - this change had not been seen for decades, indicating a positive ecological shift.

Question 5

• The Sussex Kelp Recovery Project was formed following the implementation of a new bylaw prohibiting ______________________.
• What was this law called?
• When was it introduced?

Answer 5

• Trawling between Selsey and Shoreham
• The Sussex Inshore Trawling Byelaw
• March 2021

Question 6

• What cool thing do seals have the ability to perceive?
• What does this allow them to do?

Answer 6

• Seals have a unique ability to cognitively perceive levels of oxygen in their blood to avoid drowning
• This adaptation helps them to hold their breath longer than many other animals while diving.

Question 7

True or False: Seals are sensitive to carbon dioxide levels when diving.

Answer 7

False - seals’ diving duration is positively affected only by oxygen availability.

Question 8

What are the two broad categories of dolphin whistles?

Answer 8

Signature whistles and non-signature whistles

Question 9

What percentage of a dolphin’s whistling may consist of its signature whistle during interactions?

Answer 9

Up to 30%

Question 10

• What is a key finding regarding the frequency patterns of signature dolphin whistles?
• What does this mean?

Answer 10

• They were exceptionally stable but also exhibited variability
• This suggests that signature whistles encode identity and may transmit additional information.

Question 11

How did the variability of signature whistles differ between male and female dolphins?

Answer 11

Males demonstrated more variability than females

Question 12

True or False: Signature whistles are only used for individual identification and do not convey any emotional or contextual cues.

Answer 12

False - research suggests that signature whistles may also transmit emotional or contextual information.

Question 13

What analogy is used to describe the information transmitted by signature whistles?

Answer 13

Human faces - just as human faces carry identity and emotional information, signature whistles may convey various types of information.

Question 14

• What does understanding dolphin communication help us understand?
• Give one example.

Answer 14

• The challenges dolphins face in a human-affected world
• It highlights issues like noise pollution in the oceans (which affects dolphin communication).

Question 15

How might noise pollution affect dolphins compared to humans?

Answer 15

It would be like the whole world going blurry for us - dolphins rely on sound for navigation and social interactions, making noise pollution a severe obstacle.

Question 16

How can individual humpback whales be recognized?

Answer 16

By the serrations and black and white patterns on the underside of their tail flukes

Question 17

What physical features are used to recognize bottlenose dolphins?

Answer 17

Nicks and scarring on their dorsal fins

Question 18

What type of samples does a biopsy dart collect?

Answer 18

A small plug of skin and blubber

Question 19

What equipment is used to shoot a biopsy dart (2 Points)?

Answer 19

A modified crossbow or paxarms gun

Question 20

What can the samples collected by a biopsy dart be used for?

Answer 20

Genetic analysis

Question 21

What is the main purpose of satellite tagging in whale research?

Answer 21

To better understand the movement and behaviour of individual whales

Question 22

• How do researchers apply satellite tags to whales?
• Is this method invasive or non-invasive?

Answer 22

• By using suction cups or temporarily anchoring them into the blubber just under the skin
• This method allows for non-invasive tracking of the whales.

Question 23

• How are the depths and durations of cetacean dives measured?
• What can this data reveal?

Answer 23

• Through the use of satellite-powered time-depth sensors.
• Feeding locations can be discovered with this technology.

Question 24

What type of data do satellite tags transmit?

Answer 24

Signals that reveal whales’ positions at regular intervals.

Question 25

What can researchers determine from the time and distance between transmitted positions of cetaceans?

Answer 25

When and where whales are swimming quickly and in transit, and where they slow down to feed, rest, or socialize

Question 26

What surprising information has satellite ___________ data yielded about migratory whales?

Answer 26

* Satellite **telemetry** data * Connections between feeding and breeding grounds or migratory routes - these connections might not have been suspected without satellite tracking.

Question 27

What are some challenges associated with satellite tagging in whale watching (3 Points)?

Answer 27

* Requires specialist equipment * Highly experienced personnel, * Close approaches to whales under special permit

Question 28

* In what conditions can hydrophones be towed from vessels? * Why is this useful?

Answer 28

* In poor visibility conditions (e.g. at night) * Towing hydrophones allows for the detection of marine mammals when visual surveys are ineffective.

Question 29

What type of species can hydrophones effectively detect?

Answer 29

Deep diving species that rarely reveal themselves at the surface ## Footnote This capability is crucial for studying elusive marine life that is not often seen.

Question 30

* What is P.A.M.? * What does it enable?

Answer 30

* Passive Acousic Monitoring: The placement of rugged stationary underwater recording devices with long-life batteries * This method allows for continuous monitoring of marine mammals over extended periods.