Population Consequences of Acoustic Disturbance of Blainville's Beaked Whales at AUTEC

Abstract

Atypical strandings and behavioral responses of beaked whales have been associated with the use of navy mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar (e.g. Simmonds and Lopez-Juraco 1991, Evans and England 2001, McCarthy et al. 2011, Tyack et al. 2011). Yet MFA sonar operations occur repeatedly on Navy ranges that are known beaked whale habitat. The Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation (BMMRO) has been studying Blainville s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) beaked whales in the Bahamas (Claridge 2006, 2013), including a population found at the US Navy s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) range. These data are providing critical information on demography and behavior, which are directly being used in the Population Consequences of Acoustic Disturbances (PCAD) project. The long-term goal of PCAD is to develop a methodology for monitoring the long-term health of populations that are repeatedly exposed to sonar. This work is important for the continued operational integrity of navy ranges.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 30, 2014
Accession Number
ADA617935

Entities

People

  • Charlotte A. Dunn
  • Diane E. Claridge

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Animals
  • Birth
  • Cetaceans
  • Data Sets
  • Demography
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diving
  • Ecology
  • Frequency
  • Mammals
  • Marine Mammals
  • Navy
  • Odontocetes
  • Probability
  • Sonar
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Undersea Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Marine Mammal Biology