Whales and Ship Strikes

Slide 1:Whales and Ship Strikes

Peter L. Tyack Biology Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst First Lego League Science Presentations 15 Nov 2005

Slide 2:Concerns whales and vessel collision

Can some species not hear low freq vessel noise? Problems with localizing low freq vessel noise? Is reaction distance too close? Is reaction too slow?

Slide 3:Whale Response to Natural Sounds Prove that they can hear and localize sound

Courtesy of Susan Parks Example of a playback trial from 1999. In this trial three whales approached the playback vessel during 15 minute playback that started at 15:10. Collected data on range and bearing to all visible whales�make plots of surface behaviors. Typically approaches swim in �racing dives� which are rapid 30 second to 1 minute dives where the whales are swimming just below the surface. Stress, not all whales respond to these playbacks, and identification of many approaches agree that the approaches are generally males�mature adult males. Example of a playback trial from 1999. In this trial three whales approached the playback vessel during 15 minute playback that started at 15:10. Collected data on range and bearing to all visible whales�make plots of surface behaviors. Typically approaches swim in �racing dives� which are rapid 30 second to 1 minute dives where the whales are swimming just below the surface. Stress, not all whales respond to these playbacks, and identification of many approaches agree that the approaches are generally males�mature adult males.

Slide 4:How does a right whale behave or respond in the presence of a vessel?

Does a whale respond to approaching ships? If so, how? At what distance does it start to respond? Does it respond only to certain types of ships? Loud ships? How does current behavior affect response? Sleeping? Feeding? Approach the problem from perspective of� Behavioral ecology of signals in your environment and how they�re interpretedApproach the problem from perspective of� Behavioral ecology of signals in your environment and how they�re interpreted

Slide 7:We have noticed few responses to ANY vessel approaches

Whale call playbacks demonstrate right whales can hear, locate, and remember sound sources very well Lack of responses to vessels prevents us from identifying contexts of higher or lower risk

Slide 8:Vessel Noise is a constant part of the environment of whalesin US coastal waters

If they reacted every time they heard a vessel, this would interfere with feeding etc If the vessel noise is not associated with a negative effect, whales likely to habituate This may delay or interfere with reaction during the rare close dangerous approach

Slide 9:What happens as a ship closes on a whale 500-100-50-10 m?

This is the most critical issue for collision. When do whales initiate an avoidance response? How effective is it? Can only be replicated safely with a smaller vessel � need to use own propulsion noise and/or playback sounds of ship.

Slide 11:Control Alerting/Alarm Stimulus

To test experimental design, we need some stimulus likely to evoke a response Selected based upon literature on alarms for humans Chosen to be novel stimulus for whales � no habituation or sensitization Frequency chosen for good hearing and localization Nowacek, D., Johnson, M., and P. Tyack. 2004 �North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) ignore ships but respond to alarm stimuli�, Proc. R. Soc. B., 271:227-231.

Slide 12:Alarm Stimulus

Slide 13:Dive Responses of Tagged Whales

Silent Control Whale Calls Vessel Noise Alerting Control Nowacek, D., Johnson, M., and P. Tyack. 2004 �North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) ignore ships but respond to alarm stimuli�, Proc. R. Soc. B., 271:227-231.

Slide 15:Effect of Alarm Response on Risk of Collision

Pros 5/6 Whales Move Rapidly Away Start avoidance at low received level Cons 1/6 whales did not respond Whales stay 0-5 m, but only visible about 30% of time Energetically costly response

Slide 16:Surfacing Response to Alerting Playback May Increase Collision Risk

Whale normally at surface <20% of time During alarm at surface 68% ALERT

Slide 17:Energetic Cost of Response to Alarm

More than twice the fluke rate Continuous fluking Energetic cost likely to be many times increased while whale hears alarm Likely to affect all whales within several km, as ship moves through area, may affect many whales each time a ship passes with alarm on THIS IS A REAL CONCERN IF SIGNAL IS COMMON, AS REDUCED FORAGING MAY ALREADY BE IMPACTING REPRODUCTION

Slide 18:Forward Directed Beam

1-2 km 200 m Could cause whales in cone to accelerate, move away, and come to surface. Away? Only audible in danger zone? We do not know whether combination of vertical and horizontal avoidance would increase or decrease risk Would need to study responses of whales to real ships moving at realistic speeds with and without alerting signal.

Slide 19:Caution re use of ship-based alarms

Unknown effectiveness � surfacing response could increase risk of collision Known costs to whale in lost energy and time Needs further study

Slide 20:Reducing Risk of Vessel Collision

Reroute ships away from whales Ongoing whale surveys Ships must report when enter whale waters Successful Canadian effort to move shipping lanes Speed restrictions Unclear how risk scales with speed Whale detection sonar Unlikely to detect whales early enough Alerting Sounds Effectiveness must be studied

Slide 21:Acknowledgements: Funding

Cecil and Ida Green Award, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Mass Environmental Trust, Mitsubishi Co., National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Consortium, Office of Naval Research

Slide 22:Acknowledgements: Data collection

International Fund for Animal Welfare � Song of the Whale Crew S. Brown, T. Lewis, J. Matthews, R. McLanaghan, A. Moscrop and others New England Aquarium Right Whale Research H. Chichester, J. Ciano, L. Conger, P. Hamilton, S. Kraus, A. Knowlton, S. Martin, B.Pike The WHOI DTAG team D. Allen, E. Argo, N. Biassoni, A. Bocconcelli, C. Carson, M. Johnson, A. Lohr, D. Nowacek, J. Partan, A. Shorter, P. Tyack, D. Waples and others UNC - Ann Pabst, Bill McClellan Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station The WHOI Hannah T crew - M. Moore, C. Miller In memory of Emily Argo, a member of our right whale field team, and Jackie Ciano, of the New England Aquarium, who lost their lives in the crash of a survey aircraft working to protect right whales from vessel collision.