Whale Communication Aids Conservation Efforts
Singing Right & Blue Whales Found Using Underwater Sound Monitoring
Jun 9, 2009
Hydrophone arrays have made it possible to find two species of cetacean in unexpected areas. Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) singing has now been recorded within 70 miles of New York City. And the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) has returned to Cape Farewell, once a favored whaling ground, off of Greenland.
North Altantic Right Whales Return to Former Whaling Area
Conservation of the endangered North Atlantic right whale got a boost when animals were recorded at a summer feeding ground off of Cape Farewell in Greenland. The right whale had been heavily hunted in this area, leading many to believe that this eastern population was extinct.
The right whale communication monitoring study, a joint effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA’s National Marine Mammal Laboratory and Oregon State University, was conducted in 2007 – 2008. Since then the underwater recordings have been analyzed, leading researchers to believe that the thousands of confirmed whale vocalizations were made by at least 3 and possibly more North Atlantic right whales.
It will take some time to determine whether these right whales are from that eastern population or whether they are from the western Atlantic population, now moving back into the former whaling grounds.
There have been only two documented sightings of right whales near Greenland in the last 50 years and only one of those animals has been resighted with the known western Atlantic population. The other whale has not been confirmed anywhere else. Conditions in the north Atlantic often make it difficult to perform consistent visual monitoring of the whales. This makes the use of passive underwater sound monitoring an important tool in learning more about North Atlantic right whales.
Bioacoustic Monitoring Finds Blue Whales Near New York City
In a separate study, this one lead by the Cornell University Bioacoustic Research Program and New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation, blue whale vocalizations were captured by underwater acoustic monitors placed to track the right whale migration. These recordings are the first of blue whale in the area. Endangered blue whales are also recovering from whaling activities and much is being learned of their historic migratory patterns, using everything from satellites to hydrophones, in both the Pacific and Atlantic as populations recover from post-whaling lows.
Two whales were heard at this time. The underwater bioacoustic monitoring array recorded a blue whale within 70 miles of New York and another further offshore. Further whale communication monitoring will be used to help determine where to position shipping lanes when right and blue whales are active along the New York coast.
As bioacoustic monitoring technology has developed, it has been used to track marine animals as well as avian migration activity. This monitoring helps put safeguards in place when animals moving through areas of high human activity. Being able to utilize passive monitoring technology reduces cost and increases the potential scope of the survey efforts.
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