Session Title

Session Description: Collaborating to reduce impacts of underwater noise from vessels with a focus on southern resident killer whales

Session Description

Collaborating to reduce impacts of underwater noise from vessels with a focus on southern resident killer whales: Two-part special session followed by a panel discussion. Part A: Biological impacts of underwater noise from vessels.

Vessel activities in the Salish Sea are increasing in areas that overlap with southern resident killer whale critical habitat. Both Canadian and U.S. Recovery Plans for southern resident killer whales (SRKW’s) include underwater noise as a key threat to recovery. The purpose of this session was to bring together researchers, environmental managers, industry, whale-watchers, First Nations and other interested parties to discuss the collaborative approaches taken by regional groups to better understand and reduce the impacts of shipping on endangered southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea.

This session was the first in a sequence of three related sessions and included six presentations on the results of recent research on vessel noise and its impacts on whales, including:

  • insights into killer whale foraging behavior gleaned from DTag and behavioural response studies (by Brianna Wright, Marla Holt, and Jennifer Tennessen),
  • methods to monitor vessels (both AIS and non-AIS equipped) and whales in the Salish Sea (Lauren McWhinnie),
  • comparing underwater noise source levels between commercial ships and whale-watching vessels (Jason Wood), as well as
  • a presentation on noise reduction strategies that could quieten underwater conditions to improve the acoustic environment for whales (Val Veirs).

Keywords

Killer whales, Underwater noise, Shipping, Mitigation, Management, Case study, Collaboration, ECHO Program

Conference Track

SSE14: Vessel Traffic: Risks and Impacts

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)

Document Type

Event

SSEC Identifier

SSE14: Session Description

Start Date

6-4-2018 1:30 PM

End Date

6-4-2018 3:00 PM

Type of Presentation

Oral

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Killer whale--Conservation--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Killer whale--Effect of human beings on--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Ships--Environmental aspects

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Comments

This is an extended abstract for the session.

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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Apr 6th, 1:30 PM Apr 6th, 3:00 PM

Biological impacts of underwater noise from vessels