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Spatial Pattern Analysis of Cruise Ship–Humpback Whale Interactions in and Near Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

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Abstract

Understanding interactions between large ships and large whales is important to estimate risks posed to whales by ships. The coastal waters of Alaska are a summer feeding area for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) as well as a prominent destination for large cruise ships. Lethal collisions between cruise ships and humpback whales have occurred throughout Alaska, including in Glacier Bay National Park (GBNP). Although the National Park Service (NPS) establishes quotas and operating requirements for cruise ships within GBNP in part to minimize ship–whale collisions, no study has quantified ship–whale interactions in the park or in state waters where ship traffic is unregulated. In 2008 and 2009, an observer was placed on ships during 49 different cruises that included entry into GBNP to record distance and bearing of whales that surfaced within 1 km of the ship’s bow. A relative coordinate system was developed in ArcGIS to model the frequency of whale surface events using kernel density. A total of 514 whale surface events were recorded. Although ship–whale interactions were common within GBNP, whales frequently surfaced in front of the bow in waters immediately adjacent to the park (west Icy Strait) where cruise ship traffic is not regulated by the NPS. When ships transited at speeds >13 knots, whales frequently surfaced closer to the ship’s midline and ship’s bow in contrast to speeds slower than 13 knots. Our findings confirm that ship speed is an effective mitigation measure for protecting whales and should be applied to other areas where ship–whale interactions are common.

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Acknowledgments

This research was made possible through funding to the University of Washington and the University of Alaska Southeast by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Park Foundation, NPS, and Pacific Life Foundation. Research was supported by a cooperative agreement between the University of Washington and the NPS through the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. We are grateful to B. Eichenlaub for processing GPS and observer data; N. Drumheller, C. Gabriele, J. L. Neilson, S. Pyare, and J. K. Neilsen for project assistance; P. Karnik, B. Worley, and A. Green for logistical assistance; and to the captain and crew of the Holland America ships Amsterdam, Ryndam, Statendam, Volendam, Zaandam, and Zuiderdam for accommodating this project. C. Gabriele provided helpful comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. The manuscript was improved by thoughtful comments from P. Clapham and two anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, 3707 Brooklyn Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    Karin Harris & Terrie Klinger

  2. National Park Service, 3100 National Park Road, Juneau, AK, 99801, USA

    Scott M. Gende

  3. School of Oceanography, University of Washington, P.O. Box 355351, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    Miles G. Logsdon

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  1. Karin Harris
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  2. Scott M. Gende
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  3. Miles G. Logsdon
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  4. Terrie Klinger
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Correspondence to Karin Harris.

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Harris, K., Gende, S.M., Logsdon, M.G. et al. Spatial Pattern Analysis of Cruise Ship–Humpback Whale Interactions in and Near Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Environmental Management 49, 44–54 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9754-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9754-9

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