Observations on the Behavior of Bowhead Whales ('Balaena mysticetus') in the Presence of Operating Seismic Exploration Vessels in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea

摘要

The response of bowhead whales to active geophysical vessels was observed during the course of 4 field experiments conducted in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, September 1984. Conspicuous short-term behavioral changes were observed when active vessels approached to within 10km of bowheads, with the strongest responses occurring when whales were within 5km of active vessels. Behavioral responses included shorter surfacing and dive times, fewer blows per surfacing, and longer blow intervals. Total avoidance responses occured at vessel distances of 1.25km, 7.2km, 3.5km and 3.5km with associated measured sound levels from the seismic airgun arrays of 152dB, 164dB, 178dB and 163dB, respectively.