Long term trends in floating plastic pollution within a marine protected area identifies threats for Endangered northern bottlenose whales.

"The Gully", situated off Nova Scotia, Canada, is the largest submarine canyon in the western North Atlantic. This unique oceanographic feature, which became a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in 2004, is rich in marine biodiversity and is part of the critical habitat of Endangered northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus). To understand the potential impact of plastic pollution in the MPA and on this Endangered cetacean, we evaluated trends over time in the abundance and composition of plastics and compared these to the stomach contents of recently stranded northern bottlenose whales.

Efforts to advance underwater noise management in Canada: Introduction to the Marine Pollution Bulletin Special Issue.

This introduction to a special issue on approaches to managing underwater noise in Canada provides a brief overview of recent efforts to better understand and reduce anthropogenic underwater noise. Recent programs have aimed to increase understanding of anthropogenic noise in the habitats of highly endangered whales and have supported management actions such as vessel slow downs. Technical workshops have advanced the development of quiet ship design and associated technologies.

Recommended metrics for quantifying underwater noise impacts on North Atlantic right whales.

Anthropogenic underwater noise has been identified as a potentially serious stressor for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW). The Government of Canada is undertaking steps to better characterize the noise sources of most concern and their associated impacts, but there is currently an insufficient understanding of which noise sources are most impacting NARW in their Canadian habitat. This knowledge gap together with the myriad possible methods and metrics for quantifying underwater noise presents a confounding and challenging problem that risks delaying timely mitigation.