Killer Whale Ecotype Study (KWEST) kicks off
July 27, 2026
Research scientists from the University of Washington and NOAA recently departed from Kodiak, AK aboard the R/V Aquila for a 2-month research cruise focused on distinct groups of killer whales, or ecotypes, that hunt different prey and travel in different parts of the Gulf of Alaska.
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Current
North Pacific Marine Mammal Species Distribution
Project Objectives
Develop a North Pacific-wide species distribution model for cetaceans
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Current
Gulf of Alaska Acoustic Moorings and Analysis
Project Objectives
Conduct systematic line transect survey for marine mammals for density estimates; conduct survey to determine ecotype identity of killer whales; analyze existing and newly collected data for seasonal occurrence, abundance, and density of cetacean
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Complete
Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Marine Mammals in the Gulf of Alaska
Project Objectives
Determine the spatial distribution and occurrence of beaked whales, other odontocetes, and baleen whales in offshore areas using bottom-mounted passive acoustic recorders and deep-diving autonomous gliders
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Complete
North Pacific Humpback Whale Tagging
Project Objectives
Determine the occurrence, movement patterns, and residency patterns of multiple humpback whale Distinct Population Segments within Pacific Ocean Navy Range Complexes
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Current
Telemetry and Genetic Identity of Chinook Salmon in Alaska
Project Objectives
To use a combination of pop-up satellite technology and salmon genetics to provide critical information on Chinook salmon spatial and temporal distribution in the Gulf of Alaska and along the Washington coast to inform salmon management and U.S. Navy training activities. The study seeks to 1) determine the occurrence, timing, and specific run of Chinook salmon through genetics within the Navy training areas; 2) describe the influence of environmental covariates on Chinook salmon occurrence; and 3) improve the understanding of run-specific timing and geographical occurrence of Chinook salmon as the prey of Southern Resident killer whales in Washington.
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Complete
Characterizing the Distribution of ESA-listed Salmonids in Washington and Alaska
Project Objectives
Use acoustic tagging technology to provide critical information on spatial and temporal distribution of salmonids to inform salmon management, U.S. Navy activity, and Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) conservation. The study seeks to 1) determine the occurrence and timing of salmonids within the Navy training ranges, 2) describe the influence of environmental covariates on salmonid occurrence; and, 3) describe the occurrence of salmonids in relation to SRKW distribution.
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Current
Pacific Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (PACMAPPS) survey
Project Objectives
Identify species of beaked whales, odontocetes, and baleen whales that occur in the surveyed areas; Monitor marine mammal and sea turtle presence, distribution, and diversity in offshore waters; Develop a better understanding of marine mammal distribution, movement patterns, habitat use, population structure, and abundance; Develop reference library of visually-validated acoustic recordings of marine mammals.
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Summary of Marine Mammal Passive Acoustic Monitoring for the Atlantic Fleet using High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages: 2017 Annual Report. Hildebrand et al.
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Date Published:
  • January 1, 2018

Passive acoustic monitoring was conducted using High-frequency Acoustic Recording Packages (HARPs) deployed in waters offshore of Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida with support from the US Navy during 2016 - 2017. The HARPs recorded underwater sounds between 10 Hz and 100 kHz. Data analysis consisted of analyst scans of long-term spectral averages (LTSAs) and spectrograms, and automated computer algorithm detection when possible. Three frequency bands were analyzed for marine mammal vocalizations and anthropogenic sounds: (1) Lowfrequency, between 10-1000 Hz, (2) Mid-frequency, between 1,000-5,000 Hz, and (3) Highfrequency, between 1-100 kHz.

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  • 5,208.04 KB
Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
Major Training Exercise Aerial Monitoring SOCAL Jun/Jul 2009. Smultea et al.
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Date Published:
  • July 30, 2009

In support of the U.S. Navy’s (Navy) Marine Mammal Monitoring Plan (M3P) in the Southern California Range Complex (SOCAL) (DoN 2009), aerial surveys were conducted by Marine Mammal Research Consultants (MMRC) and Smultea Environmental Sciences (SES) to monitor marine mammals and sea turtles (MM/ST) during June and July 2009 in the SOCAL area.

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  • 4,717.48 KB
Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
Effects of duty-cycled passive acoustic recordings on detecting the presence of beaked whales in the northwest Atlantic. Stanistreet, J.E., D.P. Nowacek, A.J. Read, S. Baumann-Pickering, H.B. Moors-Murphy, and S.M. Van Parijs. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 2026. 140(1):EL31-EL37
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Date Published:
  • March 2, 2026

This study investigated the effects of using duty-cycled passive acoustic recordings to monitor the daily presence of beaked whale species at three locations in the northwest Atlantic. Continuous acoustic records were subsampled to simulate duty cycles of 50%, 25%, and 10% and cycle period durations from 10 to 60 min. Short, frequent listening periods were most effective for assessing the daily presence of beaked whales. Furthermore, subsampling at low duty cycles led to consistently greater underestimation of Mesoplodon species than either Cuvier's beaked whales or northern bottlenose whales, leading to a potential bias in estimation of relative species occurrence.

Publication:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
Using passive acoustic monitoring to document the distribution of beaked whale species in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Stanistreet, J.E., D.P. Nowacek, S. Baumann-Pickering, J. Bell, D.M. Cholewiak, J.A. Hildebrand, L.E.W. Hodge, H. Moors-Murphy, S.M. Van Parijs, A.J. Read. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 2017. 74(12): 2098-2109. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2016-0503
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Date Published:
  • December 1, 2017

Little is known about the ecology of many beaked whale species, despite concerns raised by mass strandings linked to certain sources of anthropogenic noise. Here, we used passive acoustic monitoring to examine spatial and temporal patterns in beaked whale occurrence at six locations along the continental slope in the western North Atlantic Ocean.

Publication:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
Occurrence and Acoustic Ecology of North Atlantic Shelf Break Species and Effects of Anthropogenic Noise: 2019 Annual Progress Report. Van Parijs et al.
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Date Published:
  • January 1, 2020

Long-term high-frequency acoustic recording packages (HARPs) at eight sites along the western North Atlantic shelf break.

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  • 1,430.35 KB
Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
Monitoring the acoustic ecology of the shelf break of Georges Bank, Northwestern Atlantic Ocean: new approaches to visualizing complex acoustic data. Weiss, S.G., D. Cholewiak, K.E. Frasier, J.S. Trickey, S. Baumann-Pickering, J.A. Hildebrand, and S.M. Van Parijs. Marine Policy. 2021. Volume 130. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104570
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Date Published:
  • August 1, 2021

This study aims to assess the co-occurrence of cetaceans and anthropogenic activities, presenting simple and accessible visualizations of the temporal and spectral overlap.

Publication:Ocean:Region:Species:Methods:
Clicking to be Counted: using passive acoustic monitoring to estimate the density and abundance of sperm whales in the central Gulf of Alaska