Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NOISE (NOise Impacts of whale-watching boatS on cEtaceans)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2018-05-01 do 2020-04-30
This project sought to test the hypothesis that underwater noise from whale-watch boats is a stimulus that elicits short-term behavioural responses in cetaceans. To do this, the researchers measured behavioural responses of whales to different boat noise levels during controlled exposure experiments. The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) was used as a model species, it being the most targeted species in the whale-watch industry. The study resulted in a large sample size for controlled exposure experiments examining boat noise. The study showed for the first time that underwater boat noise level is indeed a driver of disturbance during whale-watching scenarios. The researchers also show that if sufficiently silent boats are used at 100 meters range from the whales, that there are no apparent behavioural effects. From these findings, it is recommended that the whale-watch industry use quiet boats (for example, boats with source levels less than 150 dB re 1 μPa RMS when operating around whales at guideline distances of 100 m). These recommendations will allow operators to approach cetaceans in a responsible, sustainable manner in a way that also offers eco-tourists a view of undisturbed wildlife. These findings provide a paradigm shift in how whale-watching should be regulated to make it sustainable for future generations.
Sprogis KR, Videsen S, Madsen PT (2020) Vessel noise levels drive behavioural responses of humpback whales with implications for whale-watching. eLife. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.56760.