The commercial whale watch industry is interested in understanding the nature of underwater noise produced by whale watch vessels, to help their operators minimize noise emissions. Most focus on vessel-related noise has been on large commercial shipping vessels, with very little attention paid to the smaller vessel types used for commercial whale watching and for recreational purposes. Whale watch companies need this information to guide choices of equipment, such as propulsion systems, to minimize noise emissions that lead to exposures of the marine fauna that are the focus of their industry. In summer 2017, several Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) vessels participated in a systematic underwater noise measurement study designed to accurately characterize a variety of small vessel noise emissions. This study, supported by Fisheries and Oceans Canada through the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s ECHO program, was carried out by JASCO Applied Sciences in Haro Strait using two calibrated, high-resolution AMAR recorders deployed in approximately 200 m water depth. Participating vessels were directed to sail along defined tracks to meet the geometry requirements of radiated noise level measurement standard ANSI 12.64 (2009) – survey method. A total of 22 vessels participated, ranging in size from a 5.2 m Zodiak to a 19 m monohull, with multiple engine and propeller configurations. Engine power ranged from 10 HP to more than 1500 HP. A total of 148 sail track passes were monitored with each vessel measured multiple times at several pre-defined speeds. We will present a whale watch industry perspective from participating company Eagle Wing Tours Ltd. on how these measurements are relevant to addressing noise issues, and we will discuss the high-level measurement results, highlighting differences in noise emissions with vessel type and size, and type of propulsion system
