| Summary: | The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, located in an urbanized coastal area off the coast of Massachusetts in the United States, serves as an important foraging habitat for North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). During the summer , large numbers of vessels are present in the vicinity of foraging humpback whales. Humpback whales produce a wide variety of low frequency(12 hours between 2008-2012 showed decreased call rates and increased call frequency during close vessel passages. The response of the lone lactating female in the analyses was opposite of other whales, in that call rates increased during and after the increased vessel noise. This study is a first step in considering the long-term acoustic environment experienced by free-ranging humpbacks in urbanized habitats and to document the behavioral responses of individuals to shifting background noise levels.
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