Presents results of aerial reconnaissance surveys of the white whale population of the Mackenzie River estuary from 1976 to 1985. Information is included on survey and data analysis methods, and on whale distribution and abundance (focusing on the 1985 survey), whale behaviour, and neonate sightings. Concludes with discussion on the timing and pattern of white whale movement and distribution, possible biases in survey technique, yearly trends in whale abundance, whale uses of the estuary, and effects of industrial activities on white whales.

Guidebook which aims to improve MPA management by providing a framework that links the goals and objectives of MPAs with indicators that measure management effectiveness. The framework and indicators were field-tested in 18 sites around the world, and results of these pilots were incorporated into the guidebook. Published as a result of a 4-year partnership of IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas-Marine, World Wildlife Fund, and the NOAA National Ocean Service International Program Office.

Describes and maps the North American oceanic and coastal waters, classifying them into 24 marine ecoregions, according to oceanographic features and geographically distinct assemblages of species. Descriptive profiles of the ecoregions describe their key features, in terms of physical, oceanographic, and biological characteristics, as well as human impacts. The book is intended to provide a framework for collecting and organizing information on these regions, and to encourage a sense of joint responsibility and a collaborative strategic approach to dealing with the challenges of conserving the regions' shared oceans.

Although the ocean-and the resources within-seem limitless, there is clear evidence that human impacts such as overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution disrupt marine ecosystems and threaten the long-term productivity of the seas. Declining yields in many fisheries and decay of treasured marine habitats, such as coral reefs, has heightened interest in establishing a comprehensive system of marine protected areas (MPAs)-areas designated for special protection to enhance the management of marine resources. Therefore, there is an urgent need to evaluate how MPAs can be employed in the United States and internationally as tools to support specific conservation needs of marine and coastal waters. Marine Protected Areas compares conventional management of marine resources with proposals to augment these management strategies with a system of protected areas. The volume argues that implementation of MPAs should be incremental and adaptive, through the design of areas not only to conserve resources, but also to help us learn how to manage marine species more effectively.

The National Marine Conservation Areas System Plan is an important step in the process of creating a finite network of national marine conservation areas. The plan sets out an approach for the system's design in which Canada's three bordering oceans and the Great Lakes have been divided into 29 distinct marine regions, with a long-term goal of having a national marine conservation area within each region. The plan also attempts to portray each marine region with descriptions of its wildlife, marine and coastal environments, and current status of conservation areas in the region. The appendix includes a glossary and a list of marine-associated species assigned a status by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

This major textbook provides a broad coverage of the ecological foundations of marine conservation, including the rationale, importance and practicalities of various approaches to marine conservation and management. The scope of the book encompasses an understanding of the elements of marine biodiversity - from global to local levels - threats to marine biodiversity, and the structure and function of marine environments as related to conservation issues. The authors describe the potential approaches, initiatives and various options for conservation, from the genetic to the species, community and ecosystem levels in marine environments. They explore methods for identifying the units of conservation, and the development of defensible frameworks for marine conservation. They describe planning of ecologically integrated conservation strategies, including decision-making on size, boundaries, numbers and connectivity of protected area networks. The book also addresses relationships between fisheries and biodiversity, novel methods for conservation planning in the coastal zone and the evaluation of conservation initiatives.