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Monitoring white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) with echolocation loggers

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Abstract

Monitoring programmes for white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) have been called for repeatedly in recent years because this species is likely to be negatively impacted by climate change, but also because such a broadly dispersed, high trophic feeder can serve as an effective ecosystem sentinel. Arctic ecosystems are difficult to monitor because of the extensive winter ice coverage and extreme environmental conditions in addition to low human population densities. However, passive acoustic monitoring has proved to be a reliable method to remotely survey the presence of some marine mammals in the Arctic. In this study, we evaluate the potential use of echolocation loggers (T-POD and C-POD, Chelonia Ltd.) for remote monitoring of white whales. Captive experiments and open water surveys in three arctic/subarctic habitats (ice-noise-dominated environment, ice-free environment and low-turbidity waters) were used to document detection performance and to explore the use of logger angle and inter-click interval data to look at activity patterns and tidal influences on space use. When acoustic results were compared to concurrent visual observations, echolocation detection was only attributed to periods of white whale presence near the recorder deployment sites. Both T-PODs and C-PODs effectively detected echolocation, even under noisy ice. Diel and tidal behavioural patterns were identified. Acoustically identified movement patterns between sites were visually confirmed. This study demonstrates the feasibility of monitoring white whales using echolocation loggers and describes some important features of their behaviour as examples of the potential application of this passive acoustic monitoring method in Arctic and subarctic regions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Director of the Biology Department at L’Oceanogràfic of the City of the Arts and Sciences of Valencia, Spain, Mr. Pablo Areitio, and the Director of L’Oceanogràfic, Dr. Francisco Torner, for their support in the coordination of this study. We also appreciate the enthusiasm of The Marine Mammal Department and white whale staff from L’Oceanogràfic. We thank the Protected Resources Division, Alaska Regional Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, Juneau, Alaska) for providing funding for the research in Disenchantment Bay. Special thanks go to Kaja Brix, Rod Hobbs, Barbara Mahoney and Brad Smith (all NMFS) for their continued support in many aspects of the project in Alaska. Nick Tregenza participated in Svalbard field work and provided useful comments in an earlier version of this manuscript. We appreciate the help provided by Sam Williams, Jeremiah Pavlik, Les Hartley, Doug DeMaster and Shannon Atkinson in Disenchantment Bay field work. We also acknowledge the assistance provided by the City and Borough of Yakutat, the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe and the US Park Service. We thank the Saimaa Seal Information Center and Juha Taskinen for providing field work support in the White Sea. All research in Disenchantment Bay was conducted under the National Marine Mammal Laboratory’s (NMFS, NOAA) Scientific Research Permit No. 782-1719. The work in Svalbard was funded by an ARCFAC Transnational Access Programme, EU FP6 grant to RH Leeney (ARCFAC026129-49), and was additionally supported by the Norwegian Polar Institute. RH Leeney was funded by the European Social Fund.

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Author notes

  1. Manuel Castellote

    Present address: National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA, 98115, USA

  2. Ruth H. Leeney

    Present address: Benguela Research and Training, PO Box 786, Walvis Bay, Namibia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parques Reunidos Valencia S. A. L’Oceanogràfic, Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Junta de murs i valls s/n, 46013, Valencia, Spain

    Manuel Castellote

  2. Centre for Ecology and Evolution, University of Exeter, Tremough Campus, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, UK

    Ruth H. Leeney

  3. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US, 1 North Fort Pierce, Boca Raton, FL, 34946, USA

    Gregory O’Corry-Crowe

  4. Helsinki Institute of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 6400014, Helsinki, Finland

    Rauno Lauhakangas

  5. Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway

    Kit M. Kovacs & Christian Lydersen

  6. City and Borough of Yakutat, PO Box 160, Yakutat, AK, 99689, USA

    William Lucey

  7. P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 36, Nahimovski Prospect, 117997, Moscow, Russia

    Vera Krasnova & Roman Belikov

  8. Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, 1013 NE 40th Street, Box 355640, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    Kathleen M. Stafford

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  1. Manuel Castellote
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Correspondence to Manuel Castellote.

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Castellote, M., Leeney, R.H., O’Corry-Crowe, G. et al. Monitoring white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) with echolocation loggers. Polar Biol 36, 493–509 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-012-1276-2

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