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Development of a Removals Limit Algorithm (RLA) to set limits to anthropogenic mortality of small cetaceans to meet specified conservation objectives 2019

Abstract

A Removals Limit Algorithm (RLA) is developed to set limits to anthropogenic mortality of small cetacean populations that allow specified conservation objectives to be met.

Summary

In this report, we first describe the framework for developing the RLA in general terms (Section 2) and then go on to describe the development of the population model used for simulation, the form of the RLA itself, the simulation testing framework, the range of simulation tests performed, and the performance metrics used to determine the robustness of the RLA under simulation (Section 3). Section 4 describes the results of the simulation testing to determine robustness. In Section 5, we present an example implementation of the RLA using data for the abundance and bycatch of harbour porpoise in the North Sea. A brief discussion of the work is given in Section 6.

Resource type Publication

Topic category Environment

Reference date 2019·06·12

Citation
Hammond, P.S., Paradinas, I. & Smout, S.C., (2019), Development of a Removals Limit Algorithm (RLA) to set limits to anthropogenic mortality of small cetaceans to meet specified conservation objectives, JNCC Report No. 628, JNCC, Peterborough, ISSN 0963-8091.

Lineage
The procedure developed here to set limits to anthropogenic mortality of small cetacean populations is named the Removals Limit Algorithm (RLA). It is similar in concept to the Catch Limit Algorithm (CLA) that lies at the centre of the IWC’s Revised Management Procedure (RMP, IWC 2012).

Responsible organisation
Digital and Data Solutions, JNCC publisher

Limitations on public access No limitations

Use constraints Available under the Open Government Licence 3.0

Metadata date 2019·07·05

Metadata point of contact
Digital and Data Solutions, JNCC

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