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Scientists Use Marine Robots to Detect Endangered Whales

By Guest PostJanuary 27, 2013Environment, Natureacoustic research group, baleen whales, bar harbor, ben hodges, callosities, cinar, dave fratantoni, detect, detection system, digital acoustic monitoring, dmon, dynamic management area, ecologists, endangered species, endangered whales, endeavor, fin, gliders, gps position, gulf challenger, gulf of maine, hearing the whales, hole, humpback, instrument, interactions, knowledge gap, marianna hagbloom, marine robots, mark baumgartner, mark johnson, nefsc, new england aquarium, new hampshire, nick woods, noaa, north atlantic, northeast fisheries, ocean going robots, oceanographic institution, outer fall, passive, portsmouth, profile, research vessel, rhode island, right whales, salinity, science center, scientists, sea surface, sei, sofie van parijs, temperature, tiny crustaceans, tom hurst, transmit data, university, use of technology, whoi, woods, zooplankton

Two robots equipped with instruments designed to “listen” for the calls of baleen whales detected nine endangered North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of Maine last month. The robots reported the detections to shore-based researchers within hours of hearing the whales (i.e., in real time), demonstrating a new and powerful tool for managing interactions between whales and human activities.

The team of researchers, led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists Mark Baumgartner and Dave Fratantoni, reported their sightings to NOAA, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the Marine Mammal Protection Act. NOAA Fisheries Service, in turn, put in place on Dec. 5 a “dynamic management area,” asking mariners to voluntarily slow their vessel speed to avoid striking the animals. (more…)

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Whales, ships more common through Bering Strait

Scientists Use Marine Robots to Detect Endangered Whales