FriendBurst Blog

New Findings on the Effects of Noise on the Behavior of Whales and Dolphins
by Brandon Southall, SEA, Inc.

Marine
mammals around the world, including along the U.S. west coast, face
many challenges due to interactions with people, from overfishing and
entanglement to vessel strikes and disturbance from human sounds. Most
of these issues remain poorly known and carefully conducted science is
needed to manage and protect marine animals.

SOCAL-10 is a
research project integrated with ongoing studies of basic diving,
foraging, social behavior, and sound production of marine mammals in
important biological areas near southern California. It extends previous
studies of whether and how animals change their behavior when they hear
different sounds.

SOCAL-10 is an interdisciplinary collaboration
of experts in marine mammal biology and behavior with extensive field
experience in safely and ethically measuring responses to controlled
sound exposures.

Dr. Brandon Southall is President and Senior
Scientist for Southall Environmental Associates, Inc. based in Santa
Cruz, CA and a research associate with the University of California,
Santa Cruz. He is currently involved in research to measure behavioral
responses of marine mammals to various human sounds, primarily military
sonar signals, the effects of impulsive noise on hearing in seals and
sea lions in laboratory settings, efforts to implement quieting
technologies on the largest commercial ships in the oceans, and
developing environmentally-responsible ways of capturing offshore
energy.

Dr. Southall has an extensive background in both
laboratory and field research on the effects of noise on marine mammals,
and has worked directly in the policy and regulatory arenas within the
U.S. and internationally on this issue. He has published over 30
peer-reviewed publications on hearing and the effects of noise on marine
life and has given hundreds of presentations on the subject to
technical, regulatory, Congressional, and international audiences.

The
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive in
San Pedro. ACS/LA lectures are free and are held on the last Tuesday of
January through May and September through November. For more
information, please visit the ACS/LA website at www.acs-la.org or call 310-847-0516.

Come
and meet our speaker in the relaxed surroundings of the Mexican
Restaurant at our no-host dinner before the meeting. Dinner is at 6
p.m., at Puesta del Sol (17th and Gaffey) in San Pedro. (310) 833-9765.

Save the Date:

April 29: Tom Jefferson, PhD, SWFSC, Cetos Research Organization,
¡Viva Vaquita!: Can we save the world’s most endangered species of marine mammal?

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Save the Whales!
Become a friend of ACS/LA on Facebook – ACS/LA Whales
ACS/LA website: www.acs-la.org
ACS/LA can also be reached at (310) 847-0516

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Protecting whales and dolphins since 1967

The
American Cetacean Society (ACS) is the oldest whale conservation group
in the world. Founded in 1967, it is a non-profit, volunteer membership
organization with regional U.S. chapters and members in 22 countries.

ACS
is dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins, porpoises, and
their habitats through education and outreach, conservation advocacy,
and facilitating research. We believe the best way to protect cetaceans
is by educating the public about these remarkable animals and the
problems they face in their increasingly threatened habitats.