Singing to be Heard: Understanding the social, geographic, and anthropogenic factors that influence the development of humpback whale song on Canada’s North Pacific coast

Humpback whales produce stereotyped, socially learned songs on their breeding grounds, yet little is known about song development outside the breeding season, or the effects of increased vessel traffic on humpback whale communication. With access to an extensive underwater Passive Acoustic Monitoring network along Canada’s BC coast, facilitated by the North Coast Cetacean Society and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, the intern will analyze humpback song during the feeding season recorded across multiple sites over years. The intern will explore the variation of humpback song across the feeding season, and the impact of singers’ vocal interactions and vessel noise on humpback whale song. Our findings will be relevant to other whale populations facing increases in anthropogenic noise, and other marine animals that rely on long-distance acoustic signals. The project aligns with the values of both partner organizations, advancing knowledge, informing conservation measures, and protecting the ecosystems and at-risk marine mammals of coastal British Columbia.

Faculty Supervisor:

Daniel Mennill

Student:

Partner:

Raincoast Conservation Foundation;North Coast Cetacean Society

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Other services (except public administration); Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Windsor

Program: