An Unusual Reaction and Other Observations of Sperm Whales Near Fixed-Wing Aircraft

Reported behavioral reactions by sperm whales to aircraft are sparse, highly variable, and largely anecdotal as summarized below. Observers since the whaling era began have noted that sperm whales tend to be skittish (Whitehead 2003). When documented, sperm whale reactions to both planes and helicopters range from no reaction (Clarke 1956, Gambell 1968, Green et al. 1992) to reactions such as increased surface intervals and dramatic behavioral changes (Clarke 1956, Fritts et al. 1983, Mullin et al. 1991, Würsig et al. 1998, Richter et al. 2003, 2006). Given the lack of supporting data for either case, it is important that these types of data are collected and consolidated into a cohesive document. Therefore, the specific objectives of our paper are to report our visual observations of sperm whale reactions to straight-line aircraft fly-bys (i.e., passes), to report a unique observation of a recognized “stress behavioral reaction” exhibited by sperm whales during an overhead circling by small fixed-wing aircraft, and to provide a summary review of published related studies

Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Behavior near Icebreaker Operations in the Chukchi Sea, 1991

Increasing interactions of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) with human activity, combined with impacts of climate change, are of critical concern for the conservation of the species. Our study quantifies and describes initial reactions and behaviors of polar bears observed from an icebreaker during summer 1991 at two exploratory drilling sites (near sites drilled in 2015) located in the Chukchi Sea 175 km and 312 km west of Barrow, Alaska. Polar bear behavior was described using continuous sampling of six predetermined focal group behavior states (walking, running, swimming, resting, feeding or foraging, unknown) and six behavioral reaction events (no reaction, walking away, running away, approaching, vigilance [i.e., watching], unknown). Forty-six bears in 34 groups were monitored from the Robert LeMeur (an Arctic Class 3 icebreaker) for periods of five minutes to 16.1 hours. Significantly more bear groups reacted to icebreaker presence (79%) than not (21%), but no relationship was found between their reactions and distance to or activity of the icebreaker. Reactions were generally brief; vigilance was the most commonly observed reaction, followed by walking or running away for short (< 5 minutes) periods and distances (< 500 m). Eleven percent of bear groups approached the vessel. No significant difference was found between reactions when cubs were present and those when cubs were absent. Despite the limited sample sizes, these findings are relevant to assessing potential impacts of resource development and shipping activities on polar bears, especially given the sparsity of such information in the face of growing human activity in the Arctic offshore areas. Overall, climate change is leading to longer and more extensive open-water seasons in the Arctic and therefore to increasing marine traffic—more vessels (including icebreakers) for a longer time each year over a wider area. Les interactions de plus en plus grandes entre les ours polaires (Ursus maritimus) et l’activité humaine, alliées aux incidences du changement climatique, constituent une préoccupation critique en matière de conservation de l’espèce. Notre étude permet de quantifier et de décrire les réactions et les comportements initiaux des ours polaires observés à partir d’un brise-glace à l’été 1991 à deux sites de forage d’exploration (près de chantiers forés en 2015) dans la mer des Tchouktches, à 175 km et à 312 km à l’ouest de Barrow, en Alaska. Le comportement des ours polaires a été décrit en recourant à l’échantillonnage en continu de six états de comportement prédéterminés pour le groupe ciblé (marcher, courir, nager, se reposer, manger ou chercher de la nourriture et comportement inconnu) et de six réactions comportementales aux événements (aucune réaction, s’en aller à la marche, s’en aller à la course, s’approcher, faire preuve de vigilance [c’est-à-dire observer], réaction inconnue). Quarante-six ours faisant partie de 34 groupes ont été surveillés à partir du Robert LeMeur (un brise-glace de l’Arctique de classe 3) pendant des périodes allant de cinq minutes à 16,1 heures. Fait important, plus de groupes d’ours ont réagi à la présence du brise-glace (79 %) que pas réagi (21 %), mais aucune relation n’a pu être établie entre leurs réactions et la distance ou l’activité du brise-glace. De manière générale, les réactions étaient brèves. La vigilance était la réaction la plus souvent observée, suivie du fait de s’en aller en marchant ou de s’en aller à la course pendant de courtes (< 5 minutes) périodes et distances (< 500 m). Onze pour cent des groupes d’ours se sont approchés du vaisseau. Aucune différence importante n’a été relevée entre les réactions, qu’il y ait des oursons ou non. Malgré la taille restreinte des échantillons, ces constatations ont de la pertinence dans l’évaluation des incidences potentielles des activités de mise en valeur et de transport des ressources sur les ours polaires, surtout compte tenu de la rareté de telles données à la lumière de l’activité humaine croissante dans les zones extracôtières de l’Arctique. Dans l’ensemble, le changement climatique mène à des saisons navigables plus longues et plus étendues dans l’Arctique. Par conséquent, le trafic maritime s’accentue en ce sens qu’il y a plus de vaisseaux (brise-glace y compris) pendant de plus longues périodes chaque année, sur de plus grandes surfaces

Seal Occurrence and Habitat Use during Summer in Petermann Fjord, Northwestern Greenland

Ice-associated seals are considered especially susceptible and are potentially the first to modify distribution and habitat use in response to physical changes associated with the changing climate. Petermann Glacier, part of a unique ice-tongue fjord environment in a rarely studied region of northwestern Greenland, lost substantial sections of its ice tongue during major 2010 and 2012 calving events. As a result, changes in seal habitat may have occurred. Seal occurrence and distribution data were collected in Petermann Fjord and adjacent Nares Strait region over 27 days (2 to 28 August) during the multidisciplinary scientific Petermann 2015 Expedition on the icebreaker Oden. During 239.4 hours of dedicated observation effort, a total of 312 individuals were recorded, representing four species: bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), hooded seal (Crystophora cristata), harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), and ringed seal (Pusa hispida). Ringed seals were recorded significantly more than the other species (χ2 = 347.4, df = 3, p < 0.001, n = 307). We found significant differences between species in haul-out (resting on ice) behavior (χ2 = 133.1, df = 3, p < 0.001, n = 307). Bearded seals were more frequently hauled out (73.1% n = 49), whereas ringed seals were almost exclusively in water (93.9%, n = 200). Differences in average depth and ice coverage where species occurred were also significant: harp seals and bearded seals were found in deeper water and areas of greater ice coverage (harp seals: 663 ± 366 m and 65 ± 14% ice cover; bearded seals: 598 ± 259 m and 50 ± 21% ice cover), while hooded seals and ringed seals were found in shallower water with lower ice coverage (hooded seals: 490 ± 163 m and 38 ± 19% ice cover; ringed seals: 496 ± 235 m, and 21 ± 20% ice cover). Our study provides an initial look at how High Arctic seals use the rapidly changing Petermann Fjord and how physical variables influence their distribution in one of the few remaining ice-tongue fjord environments.Les phoques associés aux glaces sont considérés comme très susceptibles et sont potentiellement les premiers à modifier la répartition de leur population et la façon dont ils utilisent leur habitat en réponse aux changements physiques découlant des changements climatiques. Le glacier Petermann fait partie d’une langue glaciaire de fjord unique dans une région rarement étudiée du nord-ouest du Groenland. De gros blocs de glace se sont détachés du glacier Petermann pendant le vêlage de 2010 à 2012. Par conséquent, l’habitat des phoques aurait pu être modifié. Pendant 27 jours (du 2 au 28 août), des données sur la présence et la répartition des phoques ont été recueillies au fjord Petermann et dans la région adjacente du détroit de Nares dans le cadre de l’expédition scientifique multidisciplinaire Petermann 2015 sur le brise-glace Oden. Au cours de 239,4 heures d’observation soutenue, la présence d’un total de 312 phoques représentant quatre espèces a été notée : le phoque barbu (Erignathus barbatus), le phoque à capuchon (Crystophora cristata), le phoque du Groenland (Pagophilus groenlandicus) et le phoque annelé (Pusa hispida). La présence de phoques annelés est considérablement plus importante que celle des autres espèces (χ2 = 347,4, ddl = 3, p < 0,001, n = 307). Nous avons constaté une différence significative dans les comportements d’échouerie (repos sur la glace) des phoques selon les espèces (χ2 = 133,11, ddl = 3, p < 0,001, n = 307). Les phoques barbus étaient plus souvent hors de l’eau (73,1 %, n = 49), tandis que les phoques annelés se trouvaient presque exclusivement dans l’eau (93,9 %, n = 200). Des différences significatives en ce qui a trait à la présence des espèces selon la profondeur et la couverture glaciaire ont été notées. Les phoques du Groenland et les phoques barbus fréquentent les profondeurs d’eau moyennes (663 ± 366 m et 598 ± 259 m, respectivement) et les régions où la couverture de glace correspond à la moyenne supérieure (65 ± 14 % et 50 ± 21 %, respectivement), tandis que les phoques à capuchon et les phoques annelés fréquentent les eaux moins profondes (490 ± 163 m et 496 ± 235 m, respectivement) et les régions où la couverture de glace correspond à la moyenne inférieure (38 ± 19 % et 21 ± 20, respectivement). Notre étude présente un premier aperçu de la façon dont les phoques de l’Extrême-Arctique utilisent le fjord Petermann en évolution rapide et de l’influence des variables physiques sur leur répartition dans l’une des rares langues glaciaires de fjord restantes

Rare Sightings of a Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) and Sei Whales (B. borealis) (Cetacea: Balaenopteridae) Northeast of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i.

v. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyIn the Hawaiian Islands small numbers of Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) have been documented only in the Northwestern (leeward) Hawaiian Islands, and sei whales (B. borealis) have only recently been confirmed near the islands of Maui and Hawai‘i. In November 2007, one Bryde’s whale and two sei whale groups (including three subadults) were documented during a 7-day, systematic vessel-transect survey conducted east and northeast of O‘ahu. The Bryde’s whale sighting is the first in nearshore (<70 km) waters of the main Hawaiian Islands, and the two sei whale sightings are the first near O‘ahu, including the first documented subadult sei whales there. The latter information suggests that Hawai‘i may be a reproductive area for the endangered sei whale, whose breeding and calving ground locations remain unknown in the Pacific Ocean. Other than rare incidence, the lack of historical sightings of these two species despite many years of previous shipboard and aerial surveys off Hawai‘i may be due to misidentification and/or poor sea conditions prevalent in deep, offshore windward waters of the Hawaiian Islands. We recommend conducting more offshore vessel surveys for, and biopsy sampling of, these species to clarify habitat use and current stock boundaries and numbers, information important for management of Pacific populations

Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera brydei/edeni) Sightings in the Southern California Bight

Given the paucity of confirmed sightings over the last 20 y, and its traditional, more tropical or low-latitude distribution, the Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera brydei/edeni) 1 has been excluded from recent National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) stock assessment reports of cetaceans occurring in the Southern California Bight (SCB) (Carretta et al., 2011). The last U.S. Pacific marine mammal stock assessment to include the Bryde’s whale was in 2006 (Carretta et al., 2007). During the past five decades, only two confirmed sightings of Bryde’s whales were documented off Southern California (Table 1). In January 1963, a Bryde’s whale (originally misidentified as a fin whale) was seen near La Jolla, California (Nicklin

A Visual Sighting and Acoustic Detections of Minke Whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Cetacea: Balaenopteridae), in Nearshore Hawaiian Waters.

v. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyMinke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Lace´pe`de), have been considered a rare species in Hawaiian waters due to limited sightings during visual and aerial surveys. However, our research suggests that they are more common than previously considered. In spring 2005, a combined visual-acoustic survey of cetaceans in Hawaiian waters resulted in the sighting of a minke whale within 22 km of Kaua‘i. Minke whale vocalizations were also detected at several other locations near Kaua‘i and O‘ahu. These 2005 reports are the first from nearshore (<50 km) Hawaiian waters despite years of previous shipboard and aerial surveys. The lack of historical sightings is likely due to misidentification or the inability to detect these animals during poor sighting conditions. We recommend that future cetacean surveys in Hawaiian waters include a passive acoustic component to increase the likelihood of detecting minke whales

Avistamientos y detecciones acústicas de detáceos durante un sondeo sísmico en aguas fuera de las costas de Nicaragua y Costa Rica, en Noviembre y Diciembre 2004.

Although the wider Eastern Tropical Pacific has been systematically surveyed during summer/fall, relatively little effort has focused on shelf and slope waters of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Such data are useful for establishing baseline information and assessing potential changes in cetacean occurrence and distribution relative to natural (e.g., El Niño-Southern Oscillation, climate change) and anthropogenic factors. A visual-acoustic survey for cetaceans occurred as part of a monitoring and mitigation program during an academic geophysical seismic study off Nicaragua and Costa Rica, during November-December 2004. Approximately 2 067 cetaceans representing at least seven species were seen in 75 groups during 373 h (3 416 km) of daytime observations from the seismic research vessel (R/V) Maurice Ewing. The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and the pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata) were the most frequently sighted species (30 % of all groups sighted); both were seen in shelf waters 100 m deep. In addition, sightings were made of spinner dolphins (S. longirostris), short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus), short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), and unidentified dolphins and whales. Unconfirmed sightings of a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and a pod of false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) were also recorded. An additional six groups of dolphins (50 % confirmed to species, all pantropical spotted dolphins) were made during 187 h (1 549 km) of observation effort during darkness, two of which were detected within 30 m of the vessel bow using a night vision device. A total of 217 cetacean detections occurred during 633 h of passive acoustic monitoring. A small concentration of 12 humpback whales was seen in eight groups, and two humpbacks were recorded singing in the Gulf of Fonseca on 9 December 2004. To our knowledge, such concentrations of humpback whales, particularly singing humpbacks, have not been previously reported in this specific area. In addition, a humpback mother-calf pair, likely from the Northern Hemisphere population, was seen off Northern Costa Rica on 25 November 2004. Although cetacean sighting rates were significantly different during seismic and non-seismic periods even when corrected for differential detection probability related to sea conditions, our survey results do provide information to address previous data gaps on cetacean occurrence in shelf and slope waters off the Pacific coast of Central America during late fall