Noise From Humans Impacting Survival of Cook Inlet Beluga Whales: Study
A new collaborative study documenting the complex vocal repertoire of Cook Inlet beluga whales has quantified how ship noise may be masking specific beluga calls crucial to the safety and wellbeing of these endangered whales.
Beluga whales use acoustics to find prey, navigate their environment, avoid predators and maintain group cohesion, according to authors of the study published on Nov. 30 in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
Beluga whales are highly social and vocal marine mammals, according to study lead author Arial Brewer, who’s a NOAA Fisheries affiliate at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Ph.D. student at the University of Washington.
“The core critical habitat for these whales is a very noisy area,” she explained. “Commercial shipping, an international...