Bowhead whales in the age of oil: Behavioral responses of bowhead whales to seismic operations

Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) were heavily exploited by commercial whaling in the mid to late 19th Century. The Western Arctic population has been steadily recovering and now comprises 90 % of the world's population. Since the 1970s this population has been contending with anthropogenic activities related to oil and gas exploration. Studies to investigate the impacts of industry on bowhead whales began in the early 1980s, and included opportunistic and dedicated behavioral response studies.

Bowhead responses ranged from subtle changes in dive-cycle behavior and localized displacement to wider avoidance of industry activities. My research has combined bowhead behavior data collected in the presence and absence of seismic operations to determine how whale status, season and whale activity influence the responses of bowhead whales to seismic sound. My results have enabled me to determine the detectability of bowhead whales during aerial surveys and assess the extent to which seismic operations affect detectability and alter their distribution in Arctic waters.

In this talk Frances will introduce the key issues surrounding the bowhead whale and industry in the Western Arctic. She will show how the subtle behavioral responses of bowhead whales to industry operations are often contextual and how not accounting for these subtle changes influences our understanding of bowhead distribution in areas ensonified by seismic sounds.

Biography:

Frances C. Robertson is a PhD candidate in the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia. She has been involved in a variety of cetacean research projects here in the Pacific Northwest and in Scotland. Most of Frances' work has centered on the impacts of human activities on cetaceans. Since 2006 Frances has specialized in carrying out assessments and monitoring of oil and gas industry activities on marine mammals. This work has involved vessel-based and aerial-based surveys for marine mammals, mainly associated with monitoring and mitigation of the effects of seismic surveys on marine mammals and (where they occur) sea turtles. Frances' experiences with industry have widened her research interests and have led her to focus her efforts on investigating the impacts of seismic survey operations on bowhead behavior and distribution in the Alaskan Arctic. Frances is also a committee member for the Marine Mammal Observers Association and is the Student Representative for the NW Student Chapter of the Society of Marine Mammalogy.