WhaleMap: a tool to collate and display whale survey results in near real-time

Johnson, Hansen D.; Morrison, D. B.; Taggart, K.

doi:10.21105/joss.03094

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The species' re covery has been further compromised by a recent unusual mortality event in which 32 individuals were found dead between 2017 and 2020, of which 16 were discovered in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL), Canada (NOAA 2022a). The persistent right whale occupancy in the GSL since at least 2015 (Simard et al 2019, Crowe et al 2021, Johnson et al 2021, frequent observations of both socializing and foraging behavior (Crowe et al 2021 and this paper), and a dramatic increase in observed mortalities suggest that the GSL is an important high-risk habitat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Using sonobuoys and visual surveys to characterize North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) calling behavior in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Franklin

Cole

Cholewiak

et al. 2022

Endang. Species. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The appropriate use and interpretation of passive acoustic data for monitoring the Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis (hereafter right whale) rely on knowledge of their calling behavior and how it varies with respect to time, space, demographics, and observed behavior. To assess such relationships in a habitat of increased management importance, sonobuoys (disposable drifting hydrophones) were deployed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, to record sounds from aggregating right whales during visual aerial surveys in the summers (June through August) of 2017 (n = 8), 2018 (n = 13), and 2019 (n = 16). Upcalls, gunshots, and various mid-frequency (250-800 Hz) tonal calls were compared to demographics and observed behaviors of concurrently observed right whales using correlation matrices, linear regressions, and generalized linear models. Our results show that (1) call rates increased from June to August for all call types; (2) calling rates were associated negatively with observed foraging behavior and positively with observed socializing behavior; (3) upcalls were occasionally produced at higher rates (>20 calls h-1) when in association with gunshots and tonal calls; (4) acoustic monitoring did not always detect right whale presence at fine timescales (2-6 h), but presence estimates were improved when multiple calls types were considered; and (5) calling rates were too variable to provide reliable density estimates of observed right whales. These results have important implications for the interpretation of passive acoustic monitoring in this habitat and provide evidence that some whale behaviors (e.g. socializing) may be reliably inferred from acoustics alone.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Using sonobuoys and visual surveys to characterize North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) calling behavior in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Franklin

Cole

Cholewiak

et al. 2022

Endang. Species. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Though we suspect that maintaining a specific behavior on timescales like those of our simulated Slocum glider transits (39-280 h) is unlikely for right whales, there is no available information on their behavioral budgets. Right whale behavior is potentially associated with management zone type, as there is little evidence suggesting formation of large aggregations such as the ones in our simulation in TC zones (Johnson et al, 2021), but the exact way right whales are using these different areas is poorly known. It is thought that diving during foraging depends on factors such as the vertical distribution of copepod prey, and that right whales change their diving frequency and duration accordingly (Baumgartner et al, 2017).…”

Section: Assumptions and Caveatsmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Aircrafts transited at 51 m s −1 (100 knots), RPAS at 41.2 m s −1 (80 knots), vessels at 4 m s −1 (8 knots), and Slocum gliders at 0.1 m s −1 (0.2 knots). The model interpolated the positions of each platform between start and end positions to create tracks running the width of the survey domain from West to East, as is typical of GSL surveys (Johnson et al, 2021), with the same time resolution as the simulated whales.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We chose to use the following whale numbers: low concentrations (range 1–10, increment 1) and high concentrations (range 15–100, increment 5). The low concentrations are based on typical observations from 100 of surveys over the years, and while 65 whales is the largest number reported in a DFO fisheries grid cell in the southern GSL (Johnson et al, 2021), we expanded the maximum range to 100 whales to resolve platform performance at extremely high whale concentrations. The high concentration increment of five whales was used to reduce computational demands.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Comparison of visual and acoustic surveys for the detection and dynamic management of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in Canada

Ceballos

Taggart

Johnson

2022

Conservat Sci and Prac

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The goal of this study was to develop a simulation to quantitatively compare acoustic and visual surveys and use it to inform current and future North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) risk mitigation. We expanded upon an established whale movement model, incorporating realistic right whale cues for visual and acoustic detection within dynamic management zones in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada. Survey transits by acoustic (Slocum gliders) and visual (aircraft, vessels, and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) platforms were simulated using representative platform movements and detection functions. We used a Monte Carlo approach to estimate the probability of detecting a cue, in each zone, as a function of survey platform, number of right whales, and survey transits. Acoustic gliders detected right whale presence in every scenario. Single transits of a management zone by visual surveys were only able to reliably (>0.5 probability) detect right whales when more than 20 whales were present. Twenty or more transits were required to reliably detect a single right whale. Our results serve as a tool to be used by decision‐makers to inform optimal right whale monitoring strategies that consider the relative strengths of the various platforms.

show abstract

“…data), four near the Newfoundland north and east coasts in November 2021 (Lawson unpubl. data), and one along the southwest coast of Iceland on 23 July 2018 (Johnson et al, 2021).…”

Section: Seasonal Distribution In Northern Canadian Watersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The distribution of North Atlantic right whales in Canadian waters from 2015-2017 revealed by passive acoustic monitoring

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Northward range shifts are increasingly being identified in mobile animals that are responding to climate change. Range shifts are consequential to animal ecology, ecosystem function, and conservation goals, yet for many species these cannot be characterised without means of synoptically measuring their distribution. The distribution of critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis; NARW) north of 45°N has been largely unknown due to a lack of systematic monitoring. The objectives of this study were to characterize the spatial and temporal variation in NARW acoustic occurrence in the northern portion of their foraging range. In addition, we sought to identify relevant NARW migratory corridors and explore potential previously unidentified high-use habitats beyond the highly surveyed Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL). To achieve this, passive acoustic monitoring data were collected and analyzed from 67 moorings and 13 gliders deployed (across 38 recording stations) throughout the Atlantic Canadian continental shelf, between 42°N and 58°N during 2015 through 2017. The results support that while a portion of the population has moved northward into the GSL, this shift was constrained to temperate latitudinal ranges < 52°N during the study period. NARWs were not detected in the Labrador Sea and Newfoundland Shelf, despite their preferred prey occurring in those areas. NARWs were present on the Scotian Shelf (45°N) nearly year-round, but only from May through December in the Cabot Strait (50°N). These results indicate that the northern range of the population is probably influenced by energetic requirements to minimize the distance between suitable foraging habitat and low latitude calving grounds, rather than an absence of suitable foraging conditions in high latitude waters, or other environmental or physiological factors. This work provides critical information to conserve the species and mitigate human-induced risks.

show abstract

WhaleMap: a tool to collate and display whale survey results in near real-time

Cited by 10 publications

References 5 publications

Using sonobuoys and visual surveys to characterize North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) calling behavior in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Using sonobuoys and visual surveys to characterize North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) calling behavior in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Comparison of visual and acoustic surveys for the detection and dynamic management of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in Canada

The distribution of North Atlantic right whales in Canadian waters from 2015-2017 revealed by passive acoustic monitoring

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About