Abstract

Cetacean populations are critical for the health of marine ecosystems worldwide. In the Lesser Antilles, both marine traffic and fishing are key activities of the local blue economy. Nonetheless, despite some marine protected areas dedicated to cetaceans, these activities also pose a significant threat to cetaceans through collisions with ships and accidental captures. Without any dedicated surveillance program, collisions and fisheries-interactions must be significantly underestimated. Hence, a scientific program was implemented throughout the Lesser Antilles islands in order to study human-induced injuries to cetaceans in the region. Eventually, it will allow us to identify the species most affected by human activities, the types of injuries, and the frequency and locations of these incidents. Data from photo-identification provided crucial preliminary information on the severity and frequency of such threats. The results revealed that some rare species were particularly exposed to external injuries, while some others seemed little injured. Some island-specific geographical patterns emerged in the distribution of fresh anthropogenic injuries, indicating that these places are likely to be critical zones of anthropogenic pressure. With modelisation tools and the continuation of our monitoring programs, we should be able to analyze which key human-activities variables play a role in the occurrence of injuries on cetaceans, leading to better understanding of their probable correlations and spatiotemporal dynamics. In conclusion, this scientific program demonstrates the importance of developing an international conservation plan for cetaceans. This information is critical for creating effective marine conservation policies to mitigate the impacts of human activity on cetaceans and therefore on marine ecosystems.