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Åsvestad L, Ahonen H, Menze S, Lowther A, Lindstrøm U, Krafft BA. Seasonal acoustic presence of marine mammals at the South Orkney Islands, Scotia Sea. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:230233. [PMID: 38179083 PMCID: PMC10762438 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Increased knowledge about marine mammal seasonal distribution and species assemblage from the South Orkney Islands waters is needed for the development of management regulations of the commercial fishery for Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in this region. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) data were collected during the autumn and winter seasons in two consecutive years (2016, 2017), which represented highly contrasting environmental conditions due to the 2016 El Niño event. We explored differences in seasonal patterns in marine mammal acoustic presence between the two years in context of environmental cues and climate variability. Acoustic signals from five baleen whale species, two pinniped species and odontocete species were detected and separated into guilds. Although species diversity remained stable over time, the ice-avoiding and ice-affiliated species dominated before and after the onset of winter, respectively, and thus demonstrating a shift in guild composition related to season. Herein, we provide novel information about local marine mammal species diversity, community structure and residency times in a krill hotspot. Our study also demonstrates the utility of PAM data and its usefulness in providing new insights into the marine mammal habitat use and responses to environmental conditions, which are essential knowledge for the future development of a sustainable fishery management in a changing ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ulf Lindstrøm
- University of Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Institute of Marine Research, 9296 Tromsø Norway
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Patris J, Malige F, Hamame M, Glotin H, Barchasz V, Gies V, Marzetti S, Buchan S. Medium-term acoustic monitoring of small cetaceans in Patagonia, Chile. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15292. [PMID: 37334123 PMCID: PMC10276556 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Coastal dolphins and porpoises such as the Chilean dolphin (Cephalorhynchus eutropia), the Peale's dolphin (Lagenorhynchus australis), and the Burmeister's porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis) inhabit the remote areas of Chilean Patagonia. Human development is growing fast in these parts and may constitute a serious threat to such poorly known species. It is thus urgent to develop new tools to try and study these cryptic species and find out more about their behavior, population levels, and habits. These odontocetes emit narrow-band high-frequency (NBHF) clicks and efforts have been made to characterize precisely their acoustic production. Passive acoustic monitoring is a common way to study these animals. Nevertheless, as the signal frequency is usually higher than 100 kHz, storage problems are acute and do not allow for long-term monitoring. The solutions for recording NBHF clicks are usually twofold: either short duration, opportunistic recording from a small boat in presence of the animals (short-term monitoring) or long-term monitoring using devices including a click detector and registering events rather than sound. We suggest, as another possibility, medium-term monitoring, arguing that today's devices have reached a level of performance allowing for a few days of continual recording even at these extremely high frequencies and in difficult conditions, combined with a long-term click detector. As an example, during 2021, we performed a quasi-continuous recording for one week with the Qualilife High-Blue recorder anchored in a fjord near Puerto Cisnes, Region de Aysen, Chile. We detected more than 13,000 clicks, grouped in 22 periods of passing animals. Our detected clicks are quite similar to precedent results but, due to the large number of clicks recorded, we find a larger variability of parameters. Several rapid sequences of clicks (buzz) were found in the recordings and their features are consistent with previous studies: on average they have a larger bandwidth and a lower peak frequency than the usual clicks. We also installed in the same place a click detector (C-POD) and the two devices compare well and show the same number and duration of periods of animals presence. Passages of odontocetes were happening on average each three hours. We thus confirm the high site fidelity for the species of dolphins emitting NBHF clicks present in this zone. Finally, we confirm that the combined use of recording and detection devices is probably a good alternative to study these poorly known species in remote areas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Franck Malige
- Laboratoire Informatique et Systèmes (LIS), CNRS UMR 7020, Toulon, France
| | - Madeleine Hamame
- Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia (CIEP), Coyhaique, Chile
| | - Hervé Glotin
- Laboratoire Informatique et Systèmes (LIS), CNRS UMR 7020, Toulon, France
- Scientific Microsystems for Internet of Things (SMIoT), Université de Toulon et du Var, Toulon, France
| | - Valentin Barchasz
- Scientific Microsystems for Internet of Things (SMIoT), Université de Toulon et du Var, Toulon, France
| | - Valentin Gies
- Scientific Microsystems for Internet of Things (SMIoT), Université de Toulon et du Var, Toulon, France
- Institut Matériaux Microélectronique Nanosciences de Provence (IM2NP), CNRS UMR 7334, Toulon, France
| | - Sebastian Marzetti
- Scientific Microsystems for Internet of Things (SMIoT), Université de Toulon et du Var, Toulon, France
- Institut Matériaux Microélectronique Nanosciences de Provence (IM2NP), CNRS UMR 7334, Toulon, France
| | - Susannah Buchan
- Center for Oceanographic Research COPAS COASTAL, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Departamento de Oceanografía, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Centro de Estudios Avanzado en Zonas Aridas (CEAZA), Coquimbo, Chile
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Wöhle S, Burkhardt E, van Opzeeland I, Schall E. Exploring and verifying the acoustic presence of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) off Elephant Island, Antarctica. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 153:3301. [PMID: 37318450 DOI: 10.1121/10.0019633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) can be used to monitor acoustic presence and behaviour of cetaceans, providing continuous, long-term, and seasonally unbiased data. The efficiency of PAM methods, however, depends on the ability to detect and correctly interpret acoustic signals. The upcall is the most prevalent vocalization of the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) and is commonly used as a basis for PAM studies on this species. However, previous studies report difficulties to distinguish between southern right whale upcalls and similar humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) vocalizations with certainty. Recently, vocalizations comparable to southern right whale upcalls were detected off Elephant Island, Antarctica. In this study, these vocalizations were structurally analyzed, and call characteristics were compared to (a) confirmed southern right whale vocalizations recorded off Argentina and (b) confirmed humpback whale vocalizations recorded in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean. Based on call features, detected upcalls off Elephant Island could be successfully attributed to southern right whales. Measurements describing slope and bandwidth were identified as the main differences in call characteristics between species. With the newly gained knowledge from this study, additional data can be analyzed providing further insight into temporal occurrence and migratory behaviour of southern right whales in Antarctic waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Wöhle
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Klußmannstraße 3d, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Elke Burkhardt
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Klußmannstraße 3d, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Ilse van Opzeeland
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Klußmannstraße 3d, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Elena Schall
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Klußmannstraße 3d, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
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Ramos EA, Cheeseman T, Marcondes MCC, Olio M, Vogel A, Elwen S, de Melo THM, Facchola C, Cipolotti S, Southerland K, Findlay K, Seyboth E, McCue SA, Kotze PGH, Seakamela SM. Interchange of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales across the South Atlantic Ocean. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4621. [PMID: 36944685 PMCID: PMC10030900 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31358-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The cosmopolitan distribution of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) is largely driven by migrations between winter low-latitude breeding grounds and summer high-latitude feeding grounds. Southern Hemisphere humpback whales faced intensive exploitation during the whaling eras and recently show evidence of population recovery. Gene flow and shared song indicate overlap between the western (A) and eastern (B1, B2) Breeding Stocks in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans (C1). Here, we investigated photo-identification evidence of population interchange using images of individuals photographed during boat-based tourism and research in Brazil and South Africa from 1989 to 2022. Fluke images were uploaded to Happywhale, a global digital database for marine mammal identification. Six whales were recaptured between countries from 2002 to 2021 with resighting intervals ranging from 0.76 to 12.92 years. Four whales originally photographed off Abrolhos Bank, Brazil were photographed off the Western Cape, South Africa (feeding grounds for B2). Two whales originally photographed off the Western Cape were photographed off Brazil, one traveling to the Eastern Cape in the Southwestern Indian Ocean (a migration corridor for C1) before migrating westward to Brazil. These findings photographically confirm interchange of humpback whales across the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the importance of international collaboration to understand population boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Angel Ramos
- Fundación Internacional para la Naturaleza y la Sustentabilidad, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
| | - Ted Cheeseman
- Happywhale, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
- Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia.
| | | | | | | | - Simon Elwen
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Sea Search Research and Conservation, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | | | | | | | - Ken Findlay
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Centre for Sustainable Oceans, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Elisa Seyboth
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Centre for Sustainable Oceans, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Steven A McCue
- Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Branch Oceans and Coasts, V& A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Pieter G H Kotze
- Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Branch Oceans and Coasts, V& A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - S Mduduzi Seakamela
- Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Branch Oceans and Coasts, V& A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa
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Song recordings suggest feeding ground sharing in Southern Hemisphere humpback whales. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13924. [PMID: 35978069 PMCID: PMC9385655 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17999-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean (ASSO) has one of the highest densities of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) compared to other polar and subpolar regions, which attracts migratory baleen whale species to aggregate in this area for feeding. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) also sing extensively while on the Southern Ocean feeding grounds which allows for the exploration of song similarity between feeding grounds and breeding populations which helps to understand population mixing. The results of comparative song analyses between the ASSO and the Ecuadorian and Brazilian breeding populations and recordings from the Chilean, South African and Namibian migration routes/mid-latitude feeding grounds revealed that individuals from at least three humpback whale breeding populations most likely migrate to shared feeding grounds in the ASSO. Humpback whales from different populations potentially mix at different times (i.e., years) at feeding hotspots in variable locations. The ASSO seems to provide sufficient prey resources and seems to present an important area for both cultural and maybe even genetic exchange between populations supporting the maintenance of large gene pools. Assuming that multi-population feeding hotspots are also suitable habitat for krill and other krill-dependent predators, these areas in the ASSO should be carefully managed integrating population, ecosystem and fisheries management.
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Parsons MJG, Lin TH, Mooney TA, Erbe C, Juanes F, Lammers M, Li S, Linke S, Looby A, Nedelec SL, Van Opzeeland I, Radford C, Rice AN, Sayigh L, Stanley J, Urban E, Di Iorio L. Sounding the Call for a Global Library of Underwater Biological Sounds. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.810156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquatic environments encompass the world’s most extensive habitats, rich with sounds produced by a diversity of animals. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is an increasingly accessible remote sensing technology that uses hydrophones to listen to the underwater world and represents an unprecedented, non-invasive method to monitor underwater environments. This information can assist in the delineation of biologically important areas via detection of sound-producing species or characterization of ecosystem type and condition, inferred from the acoustic properties of the local soundscape. At a time when worldwide biodiversity is in significant decline and underwater soundscapes are being altered as a result of anthropogenic impacts, there is a need to document, quantify, and understand biotic sound sources–potentially before they disappear. A significant step toward these goals is the development of a web-based, open-access platform that provides: (1) a reference library of known and unknown biological sound sources (by integrating and expanding existing libraries around the world); (2) a data repository portal for annotated and unannotated audio recordings of single sources and of soundscapes; (3) a training platform for artificial intelligence algorithms for signal detection and classification; and (4) a citizen science-based application for public users. Although individually, these resources are often met on regional and taxa-specific scales, many are not sustained and, collectively, an enduring global database with an integrated platform has not been realized. We discuss the benefits such a program can provide, previous calls for global data-sharing and reference libraries, and the challenges that need to be overcome to bring together bio- and ecoacousticians, bioinformaticians, propagation experts, web engineers, and signal processing specialists (e.g., artificial intelligence) with the necessary support and funding to build a sustainable and scalable platform that could address the needs of all contributors and stakeholders into the future.
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Mattmüller RM, Thomisch K, Van Opzeeland I, Laidre KL, Simon M. Passive acoustic monitoring reveals year-round marine mammal community composition off Tasiilaq, Southeast Greenland. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 151:1380. [PMID: 35232073 DOI: 10.1121/10.0009429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate-driven changes are affecting sea ice conditions off Tasiilaq, Southeast Greenland, with implications for marine mammal distributions. Knowledge about marine mammal presence, biodiversity, and community composition is key to effective conservation and management but is lacking, especially during winter months. Seasonal patterns of acoustic marine mammal presence were investigated relative to sea ice concentration at two recording sites between 2014 and 2018, with one (65.6°N, 37.4°W) or three years (65.5°N, 38.0°W) of passive acoustic recordings. Seven marine mammal species were recorded. Bearded seals were acoustically dominant during winter and spring, whereas sperm, humpback, and fin whales dominated during the sea ice-free summer and autumn. Narwhals, bowhead, and killer whales were recorded only rarely. Song-fragments of humpback whales and acoustic presence of fin whales in winter suggest mating-associated behavior taking place in the area. Ambient noise levels in 1/3-octave level bands (20, 63, 125, 500, 1000, and 4000 Hz), ranged between 75.6 to 105 dB re 1 μPa. This study provides multi-year insights into the coastal marine mammal community composition off Southeast Greenland and suggests that the Tasiilaq area provides suitable habitat for various marine mammal species year-round.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona M Mattmüller
- Ocean Acoustics Group, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Karolin Thomisch
- Ocean Acoustics Group, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Ilse Van Opzeeland
- Ocean Acoustics Group, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Kristin L Laidre
- Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, 1013 Northeast 40th Street, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA
| | - Malene Simon
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 570, Kivioq 2, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
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Humpback whale song recordings suggest common feeding ground occupation by multiple populations. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18806. [PMID: 34552129 PMCID: PMC8458523 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98295-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Humpback whale males are known to sing on their low-latitude breeding grounds, but it is well established that songs are also commonly produced ‘off-season’ on the feeding grounds or during migration. This opens exciting opportunities to investigate migratory aggregations, study humpback whale behavioral plasticity and potentially even assign individual singers to specific breeding grounds. In this study, we analyzed passive acoustic data from 13 recording positions and multiple years (2011–2018) within the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean (ASSO). Humpback whale song was detected at nine recording positions in five years. Most songs were recorded in May, austral fall, coinciding with the rapid increase in sea ice concentration at most recording positions. The spatio-temporal pattern in humpback whale singing activity on Southern Ocean feeding grounds is most likely shaped by local prey availability and humpback whale migratory strategies. Furthermore, the comparative analyses of song structures clearly show a differentiation of two song groups, of which one was solely recorded at the western edge of the ASSO and the other song group was recorded throughout the ASSO. This new finding suggests a common feeding ground occupation by multiple humpback whale populations in the ASSO, allowing for cultural and potentially even genetic exchange among populations.
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