Co-occurrence of beaked whale strandings and naval sonar in the Mariana Islands, Western Pacific
Document (DOC) | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:56159 | Updated: October 20, 2022 | Published / External
Item Identification
Title: | Co-occurrence of beaked whale strandings and naval sonar in the Mariana Islands, Western Pacific |
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Status: | Completed |
Publication Date: | 2020-02-19 |
Abstract: |
Mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS), used for antisubmarine warfare (ASW), has been associated with multiple beaked whale (BW) mass stranding events. Multinational naval ASW exercises have used MFAS offshore of the Mariana Archipelago semi-annually since 2006. We report BW and MFAS acoustic activity near the islands of Saipan and Tinian from March 2010 to November 2014. Signals from Cuvier's (Ziphius cavirostris) and Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris), and a third unidentified BW species, were detected throughout the recording period. Both recorders documented MFAS on 21 August 2011 before two Cuvier's beaked whales stranded on 22-23 August 2011. We compared the history of known naval operations and BW strandings from the Mariana Archipelago to consider potential threats to BW populations. Eight BW stranding events between June 2006 and January 2019 each included one to three animals. Half of these strandings occurred during or within 6 days after naval activities, and this co-occurrence is highly significant. We highlight strandings of individual BWs can be associated with ASW, and emphasize the value of ongoing passive acoustic monitoring, especially for beaked whales that are difficult to visually detect at sea. We strongly recommend more visual monitoring efforts, at sea and along coastlines, for stranded cetaceans before, during and after naval exercises. |
Other Citation Details: |
A. E. Simonis, R. L. Brownell, B. J. Thayre, J. S. Trickey, E. M. Oleson, R. Huntington, et al. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 2020 Vol. 287 Issue 1921 Pages 20200070 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0070 Anne E. Simonis 1, Robert L. Brownell Jr. 2, Bruce J. Thayre 3, Jennifer S. Trickey 3, Erin M. Oleson 4, Roderick Huntington 3,5, Kristi L. West 6,7, Simone Baumann-Pickering 3 1 Contractor to Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2 Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 3 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD 4 Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 5 Mount Edgecumbe High School 6 Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, PO Box 1346, Kaneohe, HI 96744 7 Department of Human Nutrition Food and Animal Science, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, 1955 East-West Road, University of Hawaii at Manoa Ag Sci 216, Honolulu, HI 96822 Corresponding author: Anne Simonis, anne.simonis@gmail.com |
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): | https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0070 |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
Thesaurus | Keyword |
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UNCONTROLLED | |
None | beaked whales |
None | mid-frequency active sonar |
None | Navy sonar |
None | stranding event |
None | Ziphiidae |
Spatial Keywords
Thesaurus | Keyword |
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UNCONTROLLED | |
None | Mariana Archipelago |
Physical Location
Organization: | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center |
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City: | Honolulu |
State/Province: | HI |
Country: | USA |
Document Information
Document Type: | Journal article |
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Format: | Acrobat Portable Document Format |
Status Code: | Published |
Support Roles
Distributor
Date Effective From: | 2019 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Organization): | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | pifsc.info@noaa.gov |
Phone: | 808-725-5360 |
URL: | https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov |
Business Hours: | 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
Extents
Currentness Reference: | Ground Condition |
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Extent Group 1
Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
W° Bound: | 141.1822 | |
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E° Bound: | 148.7166 | |
N° Bound: | 23.9051 | |
S° Bound: | 11.6263 | |
Description |
The Guam/CNMI EEZ |
Catalog Details
Catalog Item ID: | 56159 |
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GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:56159 |
Metadata Record Created By: | Marie C Hill |
Metadata Record Created: | 2019-04-30 20:23+0000 |
Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2022-10-20 02:17+0000 |
Metadata Record Published: | 2022-05-05 |
Owner Org: | PIFSC |
Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
Do Not Publish?: | N |
Metadata Last Review Date: | 2022-05-05 |
Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
Metadata Next Review Date: | 2023-05-05 |