title: A Summary Comparison of Active Acoustic Detections and Visual Observations of Marine Mammals in the Canadian Beaufort Sea.
abstract: Fisheries sonar was used to determine the applicability of active acoustic monitoring (AAM) for marine mammal detection in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. During 170 h of simultaneous observation by marine mammal observers and active acoustic observation, 119 Balaena mysticetus (bowheads) and 4 Delphinapterus leucas (belugas) were visually sighted, while 59 acoustic signals of bowheads were detected by AAM operators. Observations and detection of seals were also recorded. Comparative results indicate that commercially available active acoustic systems can detect seals at distances up to 500 m and large baleen whales at distances up to 2 km.
authors.affiliation: BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd., Calgary, AB, Canada, T2P 2H8. cynthia.pyc@bp.com.|BP America, Inc., 200 Westlake Park Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77079, USA. cynthia.pyc@bp.com.
authors.forename: Cynthia D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Pyć
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 0A6. maxime.geoffroy.1@ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geoffroy
authors.affiliation: Kongsberg Maritime AS, Horten, 3191, Norway. frank.reier.knudsen@simrad.com.
authors.forename: Frank R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Knudsen
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000502:physiology*; D050643:Beluga Whale / Q000502:physiology*; D050642:Bowhead Whale / Q000502:physiology*; D002170:Canada; D005843:Geography; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012767:Ships
keywords: Active acoustic monitoring; Fisheries sonar; Marine mammals