A scientific foundation for informed management decisions: Quantifying the abundance, important habitat and cumulative exposure of the Hawaii Island spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) stock to human activities

TL;DRAbstract

Coastal dolphin populations are exposed to non-consumptive human activities that can pose conservation challenges. Consequently, effective management strategies, using rigorous scientific assessments of exposed populations, are needed to mitigate any potential negative impacts of these activities. To inform management decisions for the conservation of the Hawaii Island spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) stock, I: (i) estimated abundance and survival rates; (ii) measured the effectiveness of various sampling scenarios to detect changes in abundance; (iii) identified important spinner dolphin resting habitats; and (iv) measured cumulative exposure to human activities. Between September 2010 and March 2013, boat-based and land-based sampling was undertaken to collect dolphin photo-identification, group behaviour and acoustic data from both inside and outside four important spinner dolphin resting bays on the Kona Coast of Hawaii Island. Between years, independent survival rate estima

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