@techreport{,

title = {A Report On Baleen Whale Records And Recent Developments In Marine Mammal Research And Conservation Policy - Update From India},

author = {Sutaria, D.},

url = {https://arabianseawhalenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/sc_67a_cmp_03_rev1_baleen-whale-records-from-india-1.pdf},

issn = { SC/67A/CMP/03_Rev},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-01-01},

journal = {Document presented to the meeting of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission},

number = {240},

pages = {6},

abstract = {Twelve baleen whale reports were collected from June 2018 to May 2019. Of these seven were of live sightings reported by participatory fisher and diver networks along the coast, including two Bryde’s whale groups, and two separate humpback whale sightings of one individual each. The rest were unidentified baleen whale sightings. These reports are summarised here. Five ‘hotspot areas’ of the west coast, were identified, where information was gathered by interviewing fishers and inviting them to be part of a growing participatory reporting network. . We plan to continue this work in 2019-20 with passive acoustic monitoring using SoundTraps in two of the five hotspots. At the National level the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, New Delhi has developed a National Arabian Sea Humpback whale Research and Recovery program. National and State-level programs are being developed, with support from the author and a wider research network in India. We recommend dedicated baleen whale surveys and collaborative efforts with local teams, to carry out long term research and conservation, including a net disentanglement workshop. },

keywords = {acoustics, Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, balaenoptera edeni, balaenoptera musculus, Blue whale, Bryde's whale, Entanglement, Humpback Whale, megaptera novaeangliae, Persian Gulf, ship strike, song, stranding},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}

@techreport{,

title = {Baleen whale reports from the eastern Arabian Sea based on interview surveys and stranding reports - update from India},

author = {Sutaria, D.},

url = {https://arabianseawhalenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/sc_67b_cmp_15_baleen-whale-records-from-india-1.pdf},

issn = { SC/67B/CMP/15},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-01-01},

journal = {Document presented to the meeting of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission},

number = {483},

pages = {16},

abstract = {In 2017-18, seven unidentified baleen whales, two Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) and two

humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have been reported from the west coast of India (eastern

Arabian Sea). The stranding and sighting reports are summarised here. Fishers were interviewed from

south Gujarat to west Tamil Nadu, for baleen whale sighting events to identify hotspots, and to collect

community perceptions towards baleen whales. Based on these interviews, along with data on

strandings, opportunistic song recordings, and the recent presence of a satellite tagged whale from

Oman, seven regions have been identified as hotspots and habitats used by humpback whales.

Humpback whales in these areas seem to be common during the months of January to March. We

continue our work in 2018-20 with systematic vessel based surveys using dipping hydrophones in four

of the seven hotspots. We recommend dedicated baleen whale surveys and collaborative efforts with

local and international teams, to carry out in-depth analyses of stranding events, and for a larger

coverage in visual surveys with the future use of static passive acoustic monitoring systems.},

keywords = {acoustics, Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, balaenoptera edeni, balaenoptera musculus, Blue whale, Bryde's whale, Entanglement, Humpback Whale, megaptera novaeangliae, Persian Gulf, ship strike, song, stranding},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}

@techreport{,

title = {Baleen Whale Records from India},

author = {Sutaria, D.,Sule, M.,Jog, K.,Bopardikar, I.,Jamalabad, A.,Panicker, D.},

issn = { SC/67A/CMP/03_Rev},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-01-01},

journal = {Document presented to the meeting of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission},

number = {241},

pages = {16},

abstract = {The current presence of three baleen whale species, the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), Bryde’s

whale (Balaenoptera edeni) and the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) was assessed along

the Indian coastline via sighting and stranding records. The available literature was reviewed to

understand the frequency and distribution of stranding events along the coastline. Fisherfolk were

interviewed to obtain information on baleen whale sightings and community perceptions towards

whales. We found that blue and Bryde’s whales are recorded from both the east and west coasts and

humpback whales from the west coast only. During 2015-2016, the majority of strandings were

reported from Maharashtra and Karnataka. In March 2017, at least one humpback whale sighting was

confirmed from recorded vocalisations off the Goa coast. An investigation of the ongoing fisheries has

also revealed a steep decline in commercial fisheries and an 82% decline in the Sardines in 2015-16.

With this scenario in mind, we recommend continuation of dedicated baleen whale surveys and

collaborative efforts with local regional authorities to carry out in-depth analyses of strandings and

document the ecology of whales in Indian waters.},

keywords = {acoustics, Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, balaenoptera edeni, balaenoptera musculus, Blue whale, Bryde's whale, Entanglement, Humpback Whale, megaptera novaeangliae, Persian Gulf, ship strike, song, stranding},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}