Research Projects

Marine mammals in Taiwan

The area considered to be Taiwanese waters is small but the marine fauna and habitat diversity is extremely high (from shallow mangrove estuarine waters in western Taiwan (Taiwan Strait) to deep (>4000m) submarine canyons and abyssal plains within 10km from shore off the eastern and southern coasts). At least 30 species of cetaceans have been recorded from Taiwanese waters.

There also exists a great diversity of human activities that are harmful to its diverse cetacean fauna (e.g., net fisheries, direct hunting, marine resource depletion, etc.). In recent years, human activities that generate noise have become an increasing concern for cetaceans worldwide. The cetaceans of Taiwanese waters may be experiencing some of the greatest levels of anthropogenic sources of noise in the world.

Little is known about the impacts of noise on cetaceans and there has been minimal research on this issue in Taiwan. Even a simple compilation of existing information on both cetacean distributions and noise-related activities is lacking for Taiwan and its adjacent waters (i.e., those of the Philippines, China and to a lesser extent Japan).

This project aims to review, compile and organize available data on cetaceans in East Asian (especially Taiwanese) waters with the initial focus being on species known to be especially sensitive to ocean noise (e.g., beaked whales). Noise-generating human activities will also be examined in a similar manner to understand the spatial overlap between cetaceans and noisy human activities.

This project will contribute to better our knowledge on Asian cetaceans and the types, locations and likely sources of noise-related threats in this region. It is an important first step for providing information that can be used to identify research and conservation priorities and for targeting conservation and management actions.