Reconstruction of Acoustic Exposure on Orcas in Haro Strait
Abstract
On 5 May 2003, USS Shoup (DDG 86), an Arleigh Burke-class Navy Guided Missile Destroyer, transited from the Naval Station Everett via the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Haro Strait to the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental Test Range at Nanoose Bay on the eastern side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. While underway, a sonar training exercise was executed from 10:40 to 14:40 (local time). During the exercise, unusual behavior was observed in one of the resident pods of orcas, raising the question of the sonar's impact on them. Due to two coincidental activities, this question can be addressed in detail. Coinciding with Shoup's transit, a marine mammal class from Friday Harbor Labs led by Dr. David Bain was observing a pod of Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) (J pod). The class shadowed the J pod from their boat, recording its behavior, the GPS location of the boat, and the time of day. Figure 1 shows the tracks of USS Shoup and Dr. Bain's boat shadowing the J pod overlaid on the bathymetry. Additionally, acoustic recordings were made on monitoring hydrophones deployed by Dr. Val Veirs of Colorado College for his Orca Vocalization and Localization (OVAL) project. More than 370 recordings on four hydrophones were made, spanning the time period that Shoup was transmitting for its long-range sonar operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA525374
Entities
People
- D. M. Fromm
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory