From the abstract: “We identified prey capture dives using whale kinematic signatures and found that the probability of capturing prey increased as salmon abundance increased, but decreased as vessel speed increased. When vessels emitted navigational sonar, whales made longer dives to capture prey and descended more slowly when they initiated these dives. Finally, whales descended more quickly when noise levels were higher and vessel approaches were closer. These findings advance a growing understanding of vessel and sound impacts on marine wildlife and inform efforts to manage vessel impacts on endangered populations.”
Authors: Marla M. Holt, Jennifer B. Tennessen, M. Bradley Hanson, Candice K. Emmons, Deborah A. Giles, Jeffrey T. Hogan, Michael J. Ford
Journal: Marine Environmental Research
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105429
Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries
