Deep Mapping Teuthivorous Whales and Their Prey Fields
RC-2112
Objective
In the last decade great progress has been made in understanding the behavior and biology of deep-diving whales such as sperm (Physeter macrocephalus) and beaked (family Ziphiidae) whales that feed primarily on squid (teuthivores). Much of this progress has resulted from the development of new technologies such as tagging. Although studies of the physical habitat of these whales have been able to keep pace with these advancements, understanding of the available prey, a key component in the biological habitat of these animals, has not. This lag has been driven by the difficulties in studying squid because of the rapid speed, relatively large size, and foraging depth of these prey animals. Recent advances in acoustic measurements now enable this powerful remote sensing tool to be used to assess squid behavior and distribution in water depths up to 600 m. However, teuthivores or cephalopod feeding whales, such as sperm and beaked whales, typically feed at depths of 1000 m.
The objective of this project is to develop an effective, easily deployed, adaptable remote sensing tool for measuring both the prey field and occupancy patterns of sperm and beaked whales to depths of at least 1200 m and to utilize this tool to understand how prey affects the behavior of deep-diving whales and how this behavior may affect sound exposure risk.
Technical Approach
In this project researchers will modify and integrate a 38 and 120 kHz echosounder into an existing REMUS 600 UUV and develop onboard acoustical data processing capabilities within the integrated echosounder module. Initial testing of the integrated system will be conducted in a shallow (< 200m) coastal location at California Polytechnic State University’s pier facility in San Luis Obispo Bay. Capabilities then will be demonstrated in deep water in Monterey Bay, Californina. The Echosounder-UUV will be deployed along with ship-based sampling in partnership with the marine mammal Behavioral Response Study taking place in southern California in 2013 and 2014 to provide information on squid prey resources and whales simultaneously in areas where the behavior and habitat use of individual deep-diving marine mammals is being measured in detail both during normal conditions and during the use of simulated and operational military sonars. Through this effort, researchers will quantify how prey resources affect the behavior of deep-diving whales.
Benefits
This project will result in an effective tool for measuring the prey field of deep-diving teuthivorous whales that have posed concerns related to sound exposure from Navy sonars. The data collected as part of field efforts will describe the distribution of squid and the behavioral responses of whales both during natural conditions and, if appropriate, while under exposure conditions. This work will determine if prey conditions could affect behavioral responses of deep-diving whales. It is predicted that high squid availability could reduce the responsiveness of whales to even strong stimuli. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2015)
Symposium & Workshop
FY 2013 New Start Project Selections
Points of Contact
Principal Investigator
Dr. Kelly Benoit-Bird
Oregon State University
Phone: 541-737-2063
Program Manager
Resource Conservation and Climate Change
SERDP and ESTCP
Document Types
- Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
- Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
- Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
- Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
- Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
- Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
- Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
- Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
- Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.