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Humpback whales are famous for their beautiful songs, but the researchers found that the noise from the ships was enough to shorten them or prevent them from singing.
While ocean noise has become a growing concern that is expected to have more and more impacts on marine life, scientists at the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association and the University of Hokkaido in Japan have wanted to know how the noise from Cargos affected live humpback whales around the Ogasawara Islands.
They installed underwater microphones in the area and identified one to three singers a day and 26 singers in total. In a study recently published in the journal PLOS One, they concluded that the behavior of these whales changed when the ships were present and that they stopped singing altogether, or abbreviated their songs at the approach of the whales. a ship, even when the ships were more than one kilometer away. . They also found that most of them had not started singing again at least 30 minutes after the ships passed.
Because only humpback whales sing, their work did not look at how females and calves are affected, but it's hard to imagine they're not affected.
"This is further evidence that human noise has a negative impact on many aspects of marine mammal life," CNN Spencer Fire, an assistant professor in the department of ocean engineering and marine sciences, told CNN. the Florida Tech Sea.
Although he did not participate in the study, he added that the results were important because reliable data can be used to modify the policies protecting marine mammals from the noise that negatively affects them. by changing their behavior, disrupting them and encouraging them to use them. a lot of energy, or force them into quieter areas where they may not find enough food.
Environmentalists have recently addressed the issue at a summit organized by the International Maritime Organization, where nearly a dozen organizations have called for slowing the speed of ships to reduce noise. .
"Underwater noise from ships increases the level of stress-related hormones in whales, which can affect their ability to reproduce and impair their immune systems," said Regina Asmutis-Silvia, executive director of Whale and Dolphin Conservation. "Because whales and dolphins are highly dependent on sound to communicate, navigate, socialize and locate their prey, a noisy ocean is an ocean in which their field of vision is shrinking, forcing whales to increase their numbers." amplitude of their calls. "
Not only will the slowing of ships make the ocean more calm for marine mammals and reduce their stress levels, but it will also have the advantage of reducing the risk of collisions with ships and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. .
Hopefully this study will contribute to other ongoing changes to protect humpback whales and other marine animals from the threat of ocean noise.
Photo credit: Thinkstock
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