Just like reaching a service station during a road trip, whale sharks use oil and gas platforms such as a boxes during their migrations of thousands of kilometers in the oceans. Human manufacturing structures attract marine life, including the favorite shark snacks: plankton. But experts are concerned that this lure can put giants in danger of extinguishing at risk of boat or chemical pollution.
The satellite monitoring of whale sharks off the coast of Western Australia shows how Petroleum and Gas platforms influence the movements of these Giant GentilesMarine ecologist Ben d’Antonio and his colleagues report on January 18 in Diversity and distributions. “As they migrate through the ocean, they stop and move between the characteristics so that they presumably take an easy meal before continuing with their migration,” says D’Antonio, of the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIM) and the University of Western Australia in Perth.
The biggest fish on the planet (Rhincodon Typus) – reach up to 18 meters long – Munch through 20 kilograms of plankton per day. Oil and gas platforms act as artificial reefs, creating many prey to attract sharks.
“Think about the characteristics of the seabed as a truck stop on a road,” says D’A Antonio. “On a family vacation, we often stop at truck stops to combine and take a quick bite before [heading] To our final destination. Whale sharks seem to be using characteristics of the seabed in a similar way. “
For 14 years, the researchers labeled 78 whale sharks, tracked their movements and verified the location of the geomorphological characteristics to see how this affected the sharks routes. While natural pinnacles, cannons and submarines also act as boxes in boxes, this lure towards oil platforms, possibly reinforced by the plankton attraction by the light rays of the platforms, could put the huge filter feeders at risk of being beaten by a boat or oil pollution. spills or downloads. It is impossible to know exactly how many are being killed by the vessels because their bodies sink Without a trace
The authors expect this finding to help decision makers who handle protected marine areas and create awareness about the potential impact on marine life when platforms made by humans or new structures are built, such as wind turbines on the high seas. “This will become more relevant as the developments for renewable energy begin to add an additional structure to many areas throughout the continental margins,” says D’Ancon.
#Whale #migratory #sharks #boxes #stops #oil #gas #platforms
