3S(expn 2): Behavioral Response Studies of Cetaceans to Navy Sonar Signals in Norwegian Waters

• Main Author: Miller, Patrick
• Other Authors: SAINT ANDREWS UNIV (UNITED KINGDOM) GATTY MARINE LABORATORY
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Biological Oceanography; Acoustic Detection and Detectors; *BEHAVIOR; *CETACEA; *SONAR; DATA ACQUISITION; NORWAY; STATISTICS; *NAVY SONAR; LFAS(LOW FREQUENCY ACTIVE SONAR); MFAS(MID FREQUENCY ACTIVE SONAR); NORTHERN BOTTLENOSE WHALES; MINKE WHALES; Norway; Balaenoptera acutorostrata; hyperoodon ampullatus; Megaptera novaeangliae; minke whale; Northern bottlenose whale
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA602552; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA602552

The long term goal of this international cooperative research program is to investigate behavioral reactions and the sound exposures required to elicit them of three species of whales: bottlenose whales, minke whales, and humpback whales to Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFAS) and Mid Frequency Active Sonar (MFAS) signals, in order to establish safety limits for sonar operations for these species. Another goal of the program is to assess the effectiveness of ramp-up, a common mitigation protocol in which source levels are gradually increased prior to the onset of full-level transmissions. Ramp-up is thought to give nearby animals some time to move away before sonar transmissions reach maximum levels. However, it is unknown whether or not this protocol is actually effective. We have developed a new experimental design to test whether ramp-up is an effective protocol to reduce risk of harm and our goal is to conduct experiments to test the effectiveness of ramp-up in humpback whales. In this research project, our objectives are to: 1.) Expand our comparative experimental dataset to include species that are potentially more sensitive and difficult to study: Northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus, family Ziphiidae) and minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata, family Balaenopteridae); 2.) Conduct a directed study of the effectiveness of ramp-up as a mitigation method with abundant and relatively easy-to-study humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae; 3.) Record sufficient no-sonar baseline data of all target species to adequately describe the behavioral significance of recorded changes in behavior and to statistically compare experimental records with baseline records; and 4.) Develop collaborations between the 3S research group with other research groups undertaking similar projects to pool data where appropriate, share expertise and reduce overall project costs.