A novel conservation approach provides insights into the management of rare cetaceans Kirsten F. Thompson a,b , Craig D. Millar a,b , C. Scott Baker a,c , Merel Dalebout d , Debbie Steel c , Anton L. van Helden e , Rochelle Constantine a,⇑ a School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand b The Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand c Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, OR 97365, USA d School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia e Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, PO Box 467, Wellington 6011, New Zealand article info Article history: Received 23 March 2012 Received in revised form 13 July 2012 Accepted 16 July 2012 Keywords: Strandings Beaked whales Ziphiidae Cetaceans Distribution Mesoplodon grayi abstract The conservation of rare or cryptic species in inaccessible habitats represents a particular challenge to biologists. Since 1991, a collaborative research program involving members of the public, indigenous communities, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (NMNZ) and the Department of Conser- vation has provided tissue samples for genetic analysis of stranded, or beach-cast cetaceans. The New Zealand Cetacean Tissue Archive (NZCeTA), initiated and maintained by the University of Auckland, is now one of the largest archives of its kind in the world, with tissue samples or extracted DNA from 1982 individuals. Species identity has been confirmed by DNA barcoding, using mtDNA control region sequences for 65% of the samples representing 35 species, 11 of which are from the poorly known beaked whale family, Ziphiidae. Although these animals regularly strand around the coastline of New Zealand there are no known areas at sea where they can be reliably found and very few reported live sightings. Samples collected from strandings of three species: Gray’s (Mesoplodon grayi); straptoothed (Mesoplodon layardii) and Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), represent 83% (n = 225) of all ziphiids in the NZC- eTA (n = 272). As an example of the archives utility, we used the spatial and temporal distribution of these records to provide new evidence for key habitat of these cryptic species and for seasonal and sex-biased patterns of stranding mortality. As beaked whales are known to be threatened by anthropogenic activity in other parts of the world, these records provide a critical baseline for understanding the future impacts of planned development in New Zealand’s near and offshore waters. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The conservation of cryptic and rare species inhabiting inacces- sible environments is often hampered by the paucity of baseline data on their ecology and distribution. To overcome this difficulty, researchers can use a multi-disciplinary approach with a range of different scientific techniques including data collected as part of lo- cal community initiatives (Piggott and Chao, 2011). Such multi- stakeholder studies can lead to substantial insights for little known species and build a framework for their future conservation (Leong et al., 2011). Marine mammals have been identified as a priority for sustained conservation effort with 23% of species threatened with extinction (Schipper et al., 2008; Kaschner et al., 2011). Data from cetacean strandings can provide critical insights into their distribu- tions, population structuring and phylogeny (Leeney et al., 2008; Pikesley et al., 2011). Although these records do not tell us exactly when and where the animal lived, or indeed died, stranding data does give an accurate record of both species abundance and rich- ness when compared with, for example, line-transect data (Maldini et al., 2005; Pyenson, 2010). Pyenson (2010) made comparisons of taxonomic richness values generated from both cetacean stranding records and line-transect data from the eastern north Pacific over a 16 year period. Stranding records gave slightly higher taxonomic richness and accurately record both common and rare species that are often overlooked during sighting surveys, particularly over large spatial scales. Relative abundance comparisons also indicated that stranding records accurately captured data on cetacean com- munities. Macleod et al. (2005) used stranding records to monitor changes in coastal and offshore cetacean communities as a result of climate change. Furthermore, clustering of strandings of particular cetacean species have been used to provide a better understanding of spatiotemporal epidemiology of unusual mortality events (Nor- man et al., 2011). 0006-3207/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.07.017 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +64 9 9235093; fax: +64 9 3737417. E-mail address: r.constantine@auckland.ac.nz (R. Constantine). Biological Conservation 157 (2013) 331–340 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Biological Conservation journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/biocon