Movements and diving behavior of beaked whales in Monterey Bay, CA
Abstract
When assessing the nature and degree of anthropogenic impacts on a population, a key question is "compared to what"? This is particularly difficult to evaluate when no data exist for the population of interest prior to the introduction of the activity. Such is the case with Cuvier s beaked whales that live in and near the Southern California Anti-Submarine Warfare Range (SOAR) where they are frequently exposed to mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar during military trainign exercises. While there is a growing body of behavioral and demographic data on the SOAR population, there is little or no data from an ecologically-similar population of this species that is not regularly exposed to MFA, to which these data can be compared. Here we propose a pilot effort to investigate a potential comparative study for Cuvier s beaked whales in the Monterey Canyon. Passive acoustic studies and occasional opportunistic sightings suggest the species regularly uses the canyon and suitable habitat is uniquely accessible from the mainland coast in the Monterey area. We will conduct two series of small-vessel surveys to include photo-identification data collection and satellite tag deployments to determine if the Monterey Canyon could serve as a comparative west coast study site for Cuvier s beaked whales to SOAR.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141612806
Entities
People
- Gregory S Schorr
Organizations
- Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy