Title
Avoidance Responses of Minke Whales to 1-4 kHz Naval Sonar
Author
Kvadsheim, P.H.
DeRuiter, S.
Sivle, L.D.
Goldbogen, J.
Hansen, R.R.
Miller, P.
Lam, F.P.A.
Calambokidis, J.
Friedlaender, A.
Tyack, P.
Kleivane, L.
Southall, B.
Publication year
2017
Abstract
Minke whales are difficult to study and little information exists regarding their responses to anthropogenic sound. This study pools data from behavioural response studies off California and Norway. Data are derived from four tagged animals, of which one from each location was exposed to naval sonar signals. Statistical analyses were conducted using Mahalanobis distance to compare overall changes in parameters summarising dive behaviour, avoidance behaviour, and potential energetic costs of disturbance. Our quantitative analysis showed that both animals initiated avoidance behaviour, but responses were not associated with unusual dive behaviour. In one exposed animal the avoidance of the sonar source included a 5-fold increase in horizontal speed away from the source, implying a significant increase in metabolic rate. Despite the different environmental settings and exposure contexts, clear changes in behaviour were observed providing the first insights into the nature of responses to human noise for this wide-ranging species.
Subject
2015 Observation, Weapon & Protection Systems
AS - Acoustics & Sonar
TS - Technical Sciences
Behavioural response
Naval sonar
Minke whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
North Pacific
North Atlantic
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:01ed3b4c-517e-4fc7-aa21-951044b5ab76
TNO identifier
867288
Source
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 121 (1-2), 90-68
Document type
article