once again, seems like there was an issue with the text of this message a few days ago:
Dear MARMAMers,
My co-authors and I are pleased to share with you our new publication in Marine Ecology Progress Series "Impact of whale-watching vessels on humpback whale calling behavior on an Icelandic foraging ground during the Covid-19 pandemic" (https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v701/p159-173/). We have listened to an Icelandic foraging ground for humpback whales (Skjálfandi Bay) before and during the Covid pandemic. Interestingly, it wasn't much quieter over all during the pandemic, but we could still here the whales a lot more often. We had the opportunity to show, that the whales seem to call less often when there is vessel noise around. If you want to know more, check out the abstract below and email me (amelie-la...@gmx.de) if you would like a copy of the paper.
TITLE: Impact of whale-watching vessels on humpback whale calling behavior on an Icelandic foraging ground during the Covid-19 pandemic
AUTHORS: Amelie Laute, Thomas J. Grove, Marianne H. Rasmussen, Adam Smith, Olli Loisa, Michelle E. H. Fournet
ABSTRACT: Whale-watching vessels contribute to elevated ambient sound levels in marine habitats. The reduction in maritime tourism activities during the Covid-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity to study the acoustic response of marine mammals to noise associated with whale-watching activities. In this study, we used acoustic recordings, visual observations, and Automatic Identification System data to determine the changes in humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae calling behavior associated with whale-watching vessels on a foraging ground in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland. We compared pre-pandemic summer months (2018) with pandemic (2020) conditions to quantify reductions in vessel activity and determine changes in calling behavior. Broadband ambient sound pressure levels were low in both years (median ~90 dBRMS (25-1300 Hz) re 1 µPa). During the Covid-19 pandemic (2020), the number of whale-watching trips was reduced by 68.6%. The number of humpback whale call detections increased nearly 2-fold. Ambient sound pressure levels stayed the same. We found that humpback whales reduce their calling effort in the presence of vessel sound independent of the overall ambient sound. As whale-watching vessel traffic rebounds and continues to grow, demonstrating behavioral responses should inform management plans such as vessel codes of conduct and marine spatial planning.
Best
Amelie Laute (amelie-la...@gmx.de)
_______________________________________________ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
