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In order to ensure the conservation of marine mammal populations, it is necessary to know them better. In particular, we seek to determine their abundance and distribution, their demographic parameters (reproduction, growth, mortality, etc.), their health status (pathologies, chemical contaminants, etc.) and the impact of human activities (mortality due to hunting or bycatch, collisions with ships, etc.). Once these parameters have been determined, it is important to monitor them, in order to implement measures to ensure the conservation of the populations, where appropriate.
To carry out these studies and monitorings, scientists rely on many techniques and methods. You will find in the following links a brief description of those which are mainly implemented at present in the Caribbean:
–boat campaigns;
–aerial surveys, which are conducted from small adapted aircraft;
–acoustic recordings, from hydrophones fixed on the sea floor, towed from a ship or non-permanently fixed on animals;
–stranding monitoring.
