Pressures on marine megafauna
Marine mammals are subject to numerous pressures* which are responsible for the decline of certain populations.
Most of them are linked to human activities.
Primary pressures
Incidental catches by fishing gear are the cause of direct mortality.
Secondary pressures
Chemical and noise pollution of the marine environment will affect the animal’s state of health and its ability to reproduce. In the long term, this will have an impact on populations.
Tertiary pressures
These are those that degrade the habitat of species. Noise, walewathching, the installation of wind turbines at sea, mineral prospecting drilling are all disturbances that affect marine mammals.
*Pressure” is a mechanism by which a human activity already deployed in the marine sub-region has a proven, but not necessarily quantified, impact on individuals or populations of marine mammals.
