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For more than 140 years, the type locality of the Hector’s dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori [Van Beneden 1881] and the whereabouts of the holotype have been in question. The species was based on a specimen from New Zealand, sent to Otto Finsch in Germany. Finsch forwarded the specimen to Pierre-Joseph Van Beneden in Belgium who described it as Electra hectori, without specifying whether its location was the NE coast of the South or the North Island. Of the six persons who may have shipped out the holotype, von Haast, Hutton, or Travers are the most likely; Potts, Hector and Buller are less plausible. The connections between NZ and European museums were analysed. Based on our review and the rarity of records from the NE coast of the North Island, we believe that the NE coast of the South Island should be considered the type locality, consistent with the nomenclature of the two subspecies C. h. hectori and C. h. maui. The holotype was partially destroyed at Leuven Museum during WWII, while remaining bones, transferred to the national museum in Brussels, possibly in 1964, were lost. Finally, we propose to change the species name to Aotearoa dolphin, to distinguish from the true Hector’s dolphin, the nominate subspecies C. hectori hectori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) are an iconic marine mammal, an important component of Antarctic ecosystems, and a key indicator species for regional fisheries management. Recent studies have demonstrated Arctocephalus gazella is composed of at least four distinct subpopulations, including one breeding on the South Shetland Islands. These South Shetland Antarctic fur seals (SSAFS) are the highest latitude population of otariids in the world. As such, this subpopulation faces a unique array of environmental and ecological challenges, harbours a disproportionately large reservoir of genetic diversity for the species, and has experienced catastrophic population decline in the last 15 years (2008–2023).We review the array of current and potential threats to the successful recovery of SSAFS.If decision makers wish to promote resilience and support a robust population of this species with future recovery potential, actions are needed to address threats ranging from uncertain to critical, including debris entanglement, climate change, incidental mortality, and resource competition with the krill fishery.In particular, the risks associated with overlap in the spatial and temporal distribution of the young of the year and the krill fishery should be addressed carefully.There is an urgent need for updated population estimates for all Antarctic fur seal subpopulations, analysis on the population viability of the SSAFS, and further characterising summer and winter foraging behaviours to better inform potential conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three subspecies of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are currently recognized, including the northern fin whale (B. p. physalus), the southern fin whale (B. p. quoyi), and the pygmy fin whale (B. p. patachonica). The Northern Hemisphere subspecies encompasses fin whales in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. A recent analysis of 154 mitogenome sequences of fin whales from these two ocean basins and the Southern Hemisphere suggested that the North Pacific and North Atlantic populations should be treated as different subspecies. Using these mitogenome sequences, in this study, we conduct analyses on a larger mtDNA control region data set, and on 23 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 144 of the 154 samples in the mitogenome data set. Our results reveal that North Pacific and North Atlantic fin whales can be correctly assigned to their ocean basin with 99% accuracy. Results of the SNP analysis indicate a correct classification rate of 95%, very low rates of gene flow among ocean basins, and that distinct mitogenome matrilines in the North Pacific are interbreeding. These results indicate that North Pacific fin whales should be recognized as a separate subspecies, with the name B. p. velifera Cope in Scammon 1869 as the oldest available name. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Black Sea is a semi-enclosed body of water that differs from the adjacent Mediterranean Sea in terms of its biodiversity, oceanographical and ecological characteristics. There is growing international concern about pollution in the Black Sea and other anthropogenic threats to its fauna. The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is one of three species of cetaceans living in the Azov-Black Sea basin. Despite considerable research on bottlenose dolphins elsewhere, the extent of human impacts on the Black Sea populations is unknown. Previous attempts to award special conservation status to Black Sea cetaceans have failed specifically because policy makers have viewed their ecological and evolutionary uniqueness as equivocal. This study assessed divergence between Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean bottlenose dolphins for 26 cranial measurements (n =75 adult bottlenose dolphin skulls) and mitochondrial DNA (n =99 individuals). Black Sea bottlenose dolphins are smaller than those in the Mediterranean, and possess a uniquely shaped skull. As in a previous study, we found the Black Sea population to be genetically distinct, with relatively low levels of mtDNA diversity. Population genetic models suggest that Black Sea bottlenose dolphins have so little gene flow with the Mediterranean due to historical isolation that they should be managed separately. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Details are provided on 17 previously unreported catches of blue whales, and 93 catches of North Pacific right whales, all taken illegally by the former USSR. The blue whale catches were made between mid-July and mid-September 1972 in the eastern North Pacific at distances of from 96 to 626 nautical miles from the US west coast (Oregon and Washington); they highlight the inadequacy of the International Observer Scheme, as implemented in 1972, to report or detect illegal whaling. These previously unknown blue whale catches bring the Soviet total to 1,638 for the period 1948-1972. The 93 right whale catches were made during the period 1951-62 around the Kuril Islands, which brings the known total of takes of this species from 1935-1971 to 775 (including 10 taken for scientific research and officially reported at the time). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1948, the U.S.S.R. began a global campaign of illegal whaling that lasted for three decades and, together with the poorly managed "legal" whaling of other nations, seriously depleted whale populations. Although the general story of this whaling has been told and the catch record largely corrected for the Southern Hemisphere, major gaps remain in the North Pacific. Furthermore, little attention has been paid to the details of this system or its economic context. Using interviews with former Soviet whalers and biologists as well as previously unavailable reports and other material in Russian, our objective is to describe how the Soviet whaling industry was structured and how it worked, from the largest scale of state industrial planning down to the daily details of the ways in which whales were caught and processed, and how data sent to the Bureau of International Whaling Statistics were falsified. Soviet whaling began with the factory ship Aleut in 1933, but by 1963 the industry had a truly global reach, with seven factory fleets (some very large). Catches were driven by a state planning system that set annual production targets. The system gave bonuses and honors only when these were met or exceeded, and it frequently increased the following year's targets to match the previous year's production; scientific estimates of the sustainability of the resource were largely ignored. Inevitably, this system led to whale populations being rapidly reduced. Furthermore, productivity was measured in gross output (weights of whales caught), regardless of whether carcasses were sound or rotten, or whether much of the animal was unutilized. Whaling fleets employed numerous people, including women (in one case as the captain of a catcher boat). Because of relatively high salaries and the potential for bonuses, positions in the whaling industry were much sought-after. Catching and processing of whales was highly mechanized and became increasingly efficient as the industry gained more experience. In a single day, the largest factory ships could process up to 200 small sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus; 100 humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae; or 30- 35 pygmy blue whales, Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda. However, processing of many animals involved nothing more than stripping the carcass of blubber and then discarding the rest. Until 1952, the main product was whale oil; only later was baleen whale meat regularly utilized. Falsified data on catches were routinely submitted to the Bureau of International Whaling Statistics, but the true catch and biological data were preserved for research and administrative purposes. National inspectors were present at most times, but, with occasional exceptions, they worked primarily to assist fulfillment of plan targets and routinely ignored the illegal nature of many catches. In all, during 40 years of whaling in the Antarctic, the U.S.S.R. reported 185,778 whales taken but at least 338,336 were actually killed. Data for the North Pacific are currently incomplete, but from provisional data we estimate that at least 30,000 whales were killed illegally in this ocean. Overall, we judge that, worldwide, the U.S.S.R. killed approximately 180,000 whales illegally and caused a number of population crashes. Finally, we note that Soviet illegal catches continued after 1972 despite the presence of international observers on factory fleets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phylogeny and systematics of fur seals and sea lions (Otariidae) have long been studied with diverse data types, including an increasing amount of molecular data. However, only a few phylogenetic relationships have reached acceptance because of strong gene-tree species tree discordance. Divergence times estimates in the group also vary largely between studies. These uncertainties impeded the understanding of the biogeographical history of the group, such as when and how trans-equatorial dispersal and subsequent speciation events occurred. Here, we used high-coverage genome-wide sequencing for 14 of the 15 species of Otariidae to elucidate the phylogeny of the family and its bearing on the taxonomy and biogeographical history. Despite extreme topological discordance among gene trees, we found a fully supported species tree that agrees with the few well-accepted relationships and establishes monophyly of the genus Arctocephalus. Our data support a relatively recent trans-hemispheric dispersal at the base of a southern clade, which rapidly diversified into six major lineages between 3 and 2.5 Ma. Otaria diverged first, followed by Phocarctos and then four major lineages within Arctocephalus. However, we found Zalophus to be nonmonophyletic, with California (Zalophus californianus) and Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) grouping closer than the Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) with evidence for introgression between the two genera. Overall, the high degree of genealogical discordance was best explained by incomplete lineage sorting resulting from quasi-simultaneous speciation within the southern clade with introgresssion playing a subordinate role in explaining the incongruence among and within prior phylogenetic studies of the family. [Hybridization; ILS; phylogenomics; Pleistocene; Pliocene; monophyly.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMost species of baleen whales were subject to intensive overexploitation by commercial whaling in this and previous centuries, and many populations were reduced to small fractions of their original sizes. Here, we review the status of baleen whale stocks, with an emphasis on those that are known or thought to be critically endangered. Current data suggest that, of the various threats potentially affecting baleen whales, only entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes may be significant at the population level, and then only in those populations which are already at critically low abundance. The impact of some problems (vessel harassment, and commercial or aboriginal whaling) is at present probably minor. For others (contaminants, habitat degradation, disease), existing data either indicate no immediate cause for concern, or are insufficient to permit an assessment. While the prospect for many baleen whales appears good, there are notable exceptions; populations that are of greatest concern are those suffering from low abundance and associated problems, including (in some cases) anthropogenic mortality. These include: all Northern Right Whales Eubalaena glacialis, Bowhead Whales Balaena mysticetus of the Okhotsk Sea and various eastern Arctic populations, western Gray Whales Eschrichtius robustus, and probably many Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus populations. We review the status of these populations and, where known, the issues potentially affecting their recovery. Although Humpback Whales Megaptera novaeangliae and Southern Right Whales Eubalaena australis were also heavily exploited by whaling, existing data indicate strong recovery in most studied populations of these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reports that the vaquita (Gulf of California porpoise, Phocoena sinus), is in imminent danger of extinction by the use of gillnet fishing in El Golfo de Santa Clara and San Felipe, Mexico as of December 2007. They call for the use of economic incentives to the fishing communities as a way of halting the use of such nets, and the incidental death of the porpoises caused by their use. Using computer models, they found that the vaquita has two years before they reach a population level of no return.

Aim Human activities are creating conservation challenges for cetaceans. Spatially explicit risk assessments can be used to address these challenges, but require species distribution data, which are limited for many cetacean species. This study explores methods to overcome this limitation. Blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus) are used as a case study because they are an example of a species that have well-defined habitat and are subject to anthropogenic threats. Location Eastern Pacific Ocean, including the California Current ( CC) and eastern tropical Pacific ( ETP), and northern Indian Ocean ( NIO). Methods We used 12 years of survey data (377 blue whale sightings and c. 225,400 km of effort) collected in the CC and ETP to assess the transferability of blue whale habitat models. We used the models built with CC and ETP data to create predictions of blue whale distributions in the data-poor NIO because key aspects of blue whale ecology are expected to be similar in these ecosystems. Results We found that the ecosystem-specific blue whale models performed well in their respective ecosystems, but were not transferable. For example, models built with CC data could accurately predict distributions in the CC, but could not accurately predict distributions in the ETP. However, the accuracy of models built with combined CC and ETP data was similar to the accuracy of the ecosystem-specific models in both ecosystems. Our predictions of blue whale habitat in the NIO from the models built with combined CC and ETP data compare favourably to hypotheses about NIO blue whale distributions, provide new insights into blue whale habitat, and can be used to prioritize research and monitoring efforts. Main conclusions Predicting cetacean distributions in data-poor ecosystems using habitat models built with data from multiple ecosystems is potentially a powerful marine conservation tool and should be examined for other species and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the marine species condition at Upper Gulf of California. Topics discussed include concern for extinction of vaquita porpoise, most endangered marine mammal of Mexico; reduction of freshwater flow into the Upper Gulf of California (UGC) due to damming and diversion of the Colorado River, cause decline in vaquita; and collaborative efforts required among fishermen, the seafood supply chain, and environmental and fisheries agencies for conservative solution.

Accurate identification of units for conservation is particularly challenging for marine species as obvious barriers to gene flow are generally lacking. Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera spp.) are subject to multiple human-mediated stressors, including fisheries bycatch, ship strikes, and scientific whaling by Japan. For effective management, a clear understanding of how populations of each Bryde’s whale species/subspecies are genetically structured across their range is required. We conducted a population-level analysis of mtDNA control region sequences with 56 new samples from Oman, Maldives, and Bangladesh, plus published sequences from off Java and the Northwest Pacific. Nine diagnostic characters in the mitochondrial control region and a maximum parsimony phylogenetic analysis identified 2 genetically recognized subspecies of Bryde’s whale: the larger, offshore form, Balaenoptera edeni brydei, and the smaller, coastal form, Balaenoptera edeni edeni. Genetic diversity and differentiation indices, combined with a reconstructed maximum parsimony haplotype network, indicate strong differences in the genetic diversity and population structure within each subspecies. Discrete population units are identified for B. e. brydei in the Maldives, Java, and the Northwest Pacific and for B. e. edeni between the Northern Indian Ocean (Oman and Bangladesh) and the coastal waters of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Surveys of commercial markets combined with molecular taxonomy (i.e. molecular monitoring) provide a means to detect products from illegal, unregulated and/or unreported (IUU) exploitation, including the sale of fisheries bycatch and wild meat (bushmeat). Capture-recapture analyses of market products using DNA profiling have the potential to estimate the total number of individuals entering the market. However, these analyses are not directly analogous to those of living individuals because a ‘market individual’ does not die suddenly but, instead, remains available for a time in decreasing quantities, rather like the exponential decay of a radioactive isotope. Here we use mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences and microsatellite genotypes to individually identify products from North Pacific minke whales ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata ssp.) purchased in 12 surveys of markets in the Republic of (South) Korea from 1999 to 2003. By applying a novel capture-recapture model with a decay rate parameter to the 205 unique DNA profiles found among 289 products, we estimated that the total number of whales entering trade across the five-year survey period was 827 (SE, 164; CV, 0.20) and that the average ‘half-life’ of products from an individual whale on the market was 1.82 months (SE, 0.24; CV, 0.13). Our estimate of whales in trade (reflecting the true numbers killed) was significantly greater than the officially reported bycatch of 458 whales for this period. This unregulated exploitation has serious implications for the survival of this genetically distinct coastal population. Although our capture-recapture model was developed for specific application to the Korean whale-meat markets, the exponential decay function could be modified to improve the estimates of trade in other wildmeat or fisheries markets or abundance of living populations by noninvasive genotyping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We examined six historical specimens of the endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) using DNA isolated from documented baleen plates from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Sequences from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region from these samples were compared with those from a near-exhaustive survey (269 of approximately 320 individuals) of the remaining right whales in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Our results suggest that there has been only relatively modest change in maternal lineage diversity over the past century in the North Atlantic right whale population. Any significant reduction in genetic variation in the species most likely occurred prior to the late nineteenth century. One historical specimen was from the last documented female capable of propagating one of the maternal lineages in the population today; no females in the existing population have been found to carry this mtDNA haplotype. Analysis of the only specimens from the eastern North Atlantic right whale population ever to be examined revealed that eastern and western North Atlantic right whales may not have been genetically differentiated populations. Loss of gene diversity experienced by North Atlantic right whales over the last century has been modest, and the six decades of protection have been successful in maintaining much of the maternal lineage diversity that was present in the late nineteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf of California, Mexico is home to many cetacean species, including a presumed resident population of fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus. Past studies reported very low levels of genetic diversity among Gulf of California fin whales and a significant level of genetic differentiation from con-specifics in the eastern North Pacific. The aim of the present study was to assess the degree and timing of the isolation of Gulf of California fin whales in a population genetic analysis of 18 nuclear microsatellite genotypes from 402 samples and 565 mitochondrial control region DNA sequences (including mitochondrial sequences retrieved from NCBI). The analyses revealed that the Gulf of California fin whale population was founded ~2.3 thousand years ago and has since remained at a low effective population size (~360) and isolated from the eastern North Pacific (Nem between 0.89–1.4). The low effective population size and high degree of isolation implied that Gulf of California fin whales are vulnerable to the negative effects of genetic drift, human-caused mortality and habitat change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover image, by Jessica V. Redfern et al., is based on the Biodiversity Research Predicting cetacean distributions in data‐poor marine ecosystems, DOI:10.1111/ddi.12537. Photo Credit: Asha de Vos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]