Killer whale presence in relation to naval sonar activity and prey abundance in northern Norway

In this study, retrospective data on naval sonar activity and prey abundance were correlated with killer whale sightings within a fjord basin in northern Norway. In addition, passive acoustic and visual marine mammal surveys were conducted before, during, and after a specific navy exercise in 2006....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ICES Journal of Marine Science
Main Authors: Kuningas, Sanna, Kvadsheim, Petter H., Lam, Frans-Peter A., Miller, Patrick J. O.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2013
Subjects:
displacement
herring
killer whale
navy
Norway
Orcinus orca
sonar
whale-watching
BEHAVIORAL-RESPONSES
ORCINUS-ORCA
DISTURBANCE
STRANDINGS
STIMULI
SOUNDS
KHZ
Killer Whale
Northern Norway
Orca
Killer whale
Online Access:https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/killer-whale-presence-in-relation-to-naval-sonar-activity-and-prey-abundance-in-northern-norway(68fdfeb1-22e3-4a73-93a0-b495e6c65d76).html
https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fst127
Description
Summary:In this study, retrospective data on naval sonar activity and prey abundance were correlated with killer whale sightings within a fjord basin in northern Norway. In addition, passive acoustic and visual marine mammal surveys were conducted before, during, and after a specific navy exercise in 2006. Herring abundance was the main factor affecting killer whale presence. Naval sonar, either operational navy sonar exercises (Flotex) or experimental sonar activity (CEE) alone, did not explain killer whale occurrence. However, naval sonar activity during a period of low prey availability seemed to have had a negative effect on killer whale presence. We conclude that the level of reaction to sonar can be influenced by multiple factors, including availability of prey.

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