What Do You Know About New York Whales?
Humpback whales are regularly seen in the waters off the Big Apple, while fin whales inhabit the waters around the eastern tip of Long Island. 5 other species, the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale & minke & sperm whales, as well as sei whales & the blue whale, the largest animal that has ever lived have also been seen or heard in New York waters.
... the Wildlife Conservation Association, has partnered with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution... to conduct the largest-ever survey of New York’s whales.
Listening In On Whales
Researchers are concerned about the impact of underwater noise on the ability of the whales to communicate, so they are starting out by listening in on the whales’ conversations.
On June 23 a 2,500-pound anchor was lowered to the ocean floor, 22 miles off the coast of New York’s Fire Island. Floating on a tether a few feet above it are acoustic listening devices attached to an underwater microphone... which will record the sound of whale vocalizations: the clicks, whistles, & calls made by a whale to other members of its pod...
Puget Sound Research
Similar studies have been carried out on the opposite coast of the U.S., in the Puget Sound area near Seattle, where researchers wanted to find out if noise from shipping lanes interfered with the ability of endangered orcas to communicate, & they found out that it did. This is important because orcas, or killer whales, must communicate with each other in order to hunt for & locate their food...
How To Monitor Whale Activity
In New York, scientists aren’t just listening to the calls & whistles of the whales. They are also planning to deploy boats & aircraft to monitor whales, & they will tag some individuals for long-term tracking...
They also plan to send out alerts to ships...asking them to slow down when whales are close by...”
Judy M.
July 15/ 2016
care2.com
Cute Critter Pic
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