Vessel noise levels drive behavioural responses of humpback whales with implications for whale-watching

© 2020, Sprogis et al..

Disturbance from whale-watching can cause significant behavioural changes with fitness consequences for targeted whale populations. However, the sensory stimuli triggering these responses are unknown, preventing effective mitigation. Here, we test the hypothesis that vessel noise level is a driver of disturbance, using humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) as a model species. We conducted controlled exposure experiments (n = 42) on resting mother-calf pairs on a resting ground off Australia, by simulating whale-watch scenarios with a research vessel (range 100 m, speed 1.5 knts) playing back vessel noise at control/low (124/148 dB), medium (160 dB) or high (172 dB) low frequency-weighted source levels (re 1 μPa RMS1 m). Compared to control/low treatments, during high noise playbacks the mother's proportion of time resting decreased by 30%, respiration rate doubled and swim speed increased by 37%. We therefore conclude that vessel noise is an adequate driver of behavioural disturbance in whales and that regulations to mitigate the impact of whale-watching should include noise emission standards.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2020

Erschienen:

2020

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:9

Enthalten in:

eLife - 9(2020) vom: 16. Juni

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Sprogis, Kate R [VerfasserIn]
Videsen, Simone [VerfasserIn]
Madsen, Peter T [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Anthropogenic noise
Behavioural response
Cetacean
Controlled exposure experiment
Ecology
Humpback whale
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Unmanned aerial vehicle
Video-Audio Media

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 16.04.2021

Date Revised 16.04.2021

published: Electronic

Dryad: 10.5061/dryad.9kd51c5dq

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.7554/eLife.56760

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM311190006