Behavioural responses of fin whales to military mid-frequency active sonar.

ABSTRACT: The effect of active sonars on marine mammal behaviour is a topic of considerable interest and scientific investigation. Some whales, including the largest species (blue whales, Balaenoptera musculus), can be impacted by mid-frequency (1-10 kHz) military sonars. Here we apply complementary experimental methods to provide the first experimentally controlled measurements of behavioural responses to military sonar and similar stimuli for a related endangered species, fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Analytical methods include: (i) principal component analysis paired with generalized additive mixed models; (ii) hidden Markov models; and (iii) structured expert elicitation using response severity metrics. These approaches provide complementary perspectives on the nature of pote

SUBMITTER: Southall BL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10716641 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature