title: Blue whale vocalizations recorded around New Zealand: 1964-2013.
abstract: Previous underwater recordings made in New Zealand have identified a complex sequence of low frequency sounds that have been attributed to blue whales based on similarity to blue whale songs in other areas. Recordings of sounds with these characteristics were made opportunistically during the Southern Ocean Research Partnership's recent Antarctic Blue Whale Voyage. Detections of these sounds occurred all around the South Island of New Zealand during the voyage transits from Nelson, New Zealand to the Antarctic and return. By following acoustic bearings from directional sonobuoys, blue whales were visually detected and confirmed as the source of these sounds. These recordings, together with the historical recordings made northeast of New Zealand, indicate song types that persist over several decades and are indicative of the year-round presence of a population of blue whales that inhabits the waters around New Zealand. Measurements of the four-part vocalizations reveal that blue whale song in this region has changed slowly, but consistently over the past 50 years. The most intense units of these calls were detected as far south as 53°S, which represents a considerable range extension compared to the limited prior data on the spatial distribution of this population.
authors.affiliation: Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
authors.forename: Brian S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
authors.forename: Kym
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California 92037.
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barlow
authors.affiliation: Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
authors.forename: Susannah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Calderan
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leaper
authors.affiliation: Whale Acoustics, 11430 Rist Canyon Road, Bellvue, Colorado 80512.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ensor
authors.affiliation: Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California 92037.
authors.forename: Paula A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olavarria
authors.affiliation: Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Double
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000818:Animals; D050616:Balaenoptera / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D009520:New Zealand; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D011156:Population Density; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000145:classification