title: Temporal and spatial variation of beaked and sperm whales foraging activity in Hawai'i, as determined with passive acoustics.
abstract: Beaked and sperm whales are top predators living in the waters off the Kona coast of Hawai'i. Temporal and spatial analyses of the foraging activity of these two species were studied with passive acoustics techniques. Three passive acoustics recorders moored to the ocean floor were used to monitor the foraging activity of these whales in three locations along the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii. Data were analyzed using automatic detector/classification systems: M3R (Marine Mammal Monitoring on Navy Ranges), and custom-designed Matlab programs. The temporal variation in foraging activity was species-specific: beaked whales foraged more at night in the north, and more during the day-time off Kailua-Kona. No day-time/night-time preference was found in the southern end of the sampling range. Sperm whales foraged mainly at night in the north, but no day-time/night-time preference was observed off Kailua-Kona and in the south. A Generalized Linear Model was then applied to assess whether location and chlorophyll concentration affected the foraging activity of each species. Chlorophyll concentration and location influenced the foraging activity of both these species of deep-diving odontocetes.
authors: Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, 46-007 Lilipuna Road, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, USA.
authors: Giacomo
authors: G
authors: Giorli
authors: Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, 1000 Pope Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Neuheimer
authors: Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, 46-007 Lilipuna Road, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, USA.
authors: Adrienne
authors: A
authors: Copeland
authors: Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, 46-007 Lilipuna Road, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, USA.
authors: Whitlow W L
authors: WW
authors: Au