Results from SWOT analysis for WAVE project meeting held in Gibraltar December 17, 2018.

1. Results of the SWOT analysis
1
Whale
watching
AIS
Vessel
movement
Evaluation
-­‐
WAVE
meeting
-­‐
17th
of
December
2018,
University
of
Gibraltar
SWOT
analysis
is
a
framework
for
identifying
and
analysing
the
internal
(Strengths,
Weaknesses)
and
external
(Opportunities
and
Threats)
factors
that
can
have
an
impact
on
the
viability
of
a
project.
Participants
attending
the
meeting
included
representatives
of
the
Whale
Whatching
(WW)
industry
(Dolphin
Adventure,
TURMARES
Tarifa
and
Ecolocaliza),
the
Marine
Mammal
Information,
Research
&
Conservation
(MMIRC),
the
Universities
of
Gibraltar,
Victoria
(British
Columbia,
Canada)
and
Cádiz
(Spain).
SWOT
analysis
was
applied
to
the
Whale
watching
AIS
Vessel
movement
Evaluation
(WAVE)
project.
During
the
workshop,
each
participant
listed
all
the
potential
factors
to
be
included
in
the
SWOT
analyses.
The
following
represents
a
list
of
the
entire
SWOT
factors
obtained
by
pooling
answers
from
all
the
workshop
participants
(in
bold
the
common
answers).

2. Results of the SWOT analysis
2
Whale
watching
AIS
Vessel
movement
Evaluation
-­‐
• We
have
free
access
to
AIS
data
• Enforcement
and
surveillance
under
the
Marine
Protection
Regulation
(UK)
• Useful
to
evaluate
factors
(e.g.
abundance,
distribution,
etc.)
contributing
towards
the
conservation
status
of
cetaceans
in
the
Bay
of
Gibraltar
in
addition
to
surveys
• Strong
and
diverse
kind
of
partners
(as
MMIRC
and
WW
companies)
contributing
with
useful
and
important
datasets
• Protection
and
conservation
(i.e.
valuable
for
restricted
areas
and
sanctuaries)
• We
have
AIS
installed
in
every
WW
boat
in
Gibraltar
• Project
is
innovative,
it
has
many
possibilities
• It
is
directly
applicable
to
management
• Control
the
density
of
boats
and
the
most
frequent
areas
for
cetaceans
• Vessel
behaviour
mirror
animal
movement
• Good
and
tested
technology
• Strong
funding
support
• Comparing
areas
with
similar
characteristics,
both
with
shared
national
competencies
• Different
regulations
(of
UK,
Spain,
Canada
governments)
to
protect
different
species
but
all
regulations
have
common
points
• WW
is
an
important
economic
sector
• Opportunistic
WW
vessels
are
not
included
(recreational
boats
that
do
not
have
AIS)
• Differences
between
areas
of
study,
species
of
cetacean,
legislation
and
WW
companies.
These
differences
could
affect
comparability
(bias)
• Need
more
accurate
data
on
AIS
tracks
and
distances
to
animals
• Not
clear
the
effects
of
boats
on
cetaceans
• (Bag)
short
encounter,
maybe
not
enough
time
to
distinguish
different
kind
of
manoeuvres
• Enforcement
for
certain
patterns
• Faulty
behaviours
of
AIS
(switched
off)
• No
cetacean
data
from
all
the
WW
companies
and
variable
quality
of
cetaceans’
positional
data
• Lower
quality
of
AIS
data
type
B
and
different
performance
between
WW
vessels
• Difficulty
to
enforce
control
for
compliance
with
regulations
• Three
years
of
data
maybe
is
insufficient
to
establish
trend
• AIS
data
are
expensive
• AIS
units
are
not
installed
in
Salish
Sea
• Study
will
focus
on
just
WW
and
therefore
caution
needs
to
be
exercised
when
making
generalizations
(e.g.
some
areas
are
frequented
by
cetaceans
are
not
visited
by
WW
operators
due
to
the
bad
weather
for
instance)
• WW
operators
knowing
they
will
be
part
of
the
study
could
influence
data
Strengths
INTERNALFACTORS
Weaknesses

3. Results of the SWOT analysis
3
Whale
watching
AIS
Vessel
movement
Evaluation
-­‐
• Improve
enforcement
and
surveillance
(recognizing
boats
with
bad
behaviour)
and
contribute
to
environment
monitoring
• Replication
of
this
project
• Building
strong
partnership
between
study
areas
in
B.C.
and
Strait/Bay
of
Gibraltar
and
between
partners
• Additional
source
of
vessel
and
cetacean
movement
data
via
recorded
AIS
• Merging
the
Decreto
Real
de
protección
de
cetaceos
in
Spain
and
Marine
Mammals
Regulations
in
Gibraltar
getting
concrete
measures
• Potential
to
feed
significant
no
static
data
into
Marine
Spatial
Planning
(MSP)/Integrated
Coastal
Zone
Management
(ICZM)
planning
obtaining
a
good
management
• Potential
co-­‐management,
potential
for
stakeholders,
engagement
between
authorities
and
operators
• Training
for
public
workers
on
the
use
of
AIS
for
surveillance
• Additional
source
of
vessel
data
(i.e.
from
Gibraltar
Port
Authority)
• Network
for
sharing
data
between
the
users
of
the
sea
based
on
AIS
• Support
from
international
entities
(ACCOBAMS,
IUCN
task
force)
and
apply
international
legislations
as
Marine
Spatial
Planning
Framework
Directive
(MSFD);
Marine
Strategy
Framework
Directive
(MSFD
-­‐
to
achieve
a
good
environmental
state);
EU
Habitat
Directive
(to
conserve
threated
animals)
• High
interest
of
the
general
public
about
cetaceans
• Protected
Areas
• Funds
are
not
available
constantly
and
for
a
long
time
(project
will
finish
when
financial
capacity
is
over
and
cost
of
the
AIS
data
could
stop
the
replication
of
the
project)
• Political
environment
in
different
countries
could
differently
impact
legislation/enforcement,
thus
compromising
comparability
• Distance
between
two
study
areas
and
maintenance
of
collaboration,
challenges
in
maintaining
momentum
• No
possibility
to
distinguish
vessels’
behaviour
towards
cetaceans
• Results
of
the
project
cannot
be
well
translate
to
the
managers
that
should
use
them
• Lack
of
communication
and
coordination
between
partners,
stakeholders,
governments
and
decision
makers
• Decline
of
cetaceans
population
• Dependence
on
a
single
provider
of
data
(AIS/cetaceans)
may
compromise
project
if
relationship
break
down
Opportunities
Threats
EXTERNALFACTORS
FACTORS