Directional hydrophone clusters reveal evasive responses of small cetaceans to disturbance during construction at offshore windfarms
Mitigation measures to disperse marine mammals prior to pile-driving include acoustic deterrent devices and piling soft starts, but their efficacy remains uncertain. We developed a self-contained portable hydrophone cluster to detect small cetacean movements from the distributions of bearings to det...
| Published in: | Biology Letters |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Royal Society
2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0101 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0101 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0101 |
| Summary: | Mitigation measures to disperse marine mammals prior to pile-driving include acoustic deterrent devices and piling soft starts, but their efficacy remains uncertain. We developed a self-contained portable hydrophone cluster to detect small cetacean movements from the distributions of bearings to detections. Using an array of clusters within 10 km of foundation pile installations, we tested the hypothesis that harbour porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena ) respond to mitigation measures at offshore windfarm sites by moving away. During baseline periods, porpoise movements were evenly distributed in all directions. By contrast, animals showed significant directional movement away from sound sources during acoustic deterrent device use and piling soft starts. We demonstrate that porpoises respond to measures aimed to mitigate the most severe impacts of construction at offshore windfarms by swimming directly away from these sound sources. Portable directional hydrophone clusters now provide opportunities to characterize responses to disturbance sources across a broad suite of habitats and contexts. |
|---|