Estimating minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) boing sound density using passive acoustic sensors. Issue 1 (23rd April 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Martin, Stephen W.; Marques, Tiago A.; Thomas, Len; Morrissey, Ronald P.; Jarvis, Susan; DiMarzio, Nancy; Moretti, David; Mellinger, David K.
• Is Part Of: Marine mammal science. Volume 29:Issue 1(2013)
• Page Start: 142
• Page End: 158
• Publication Date: 2012-04-23
• Subjects: Marine mammals -- Congresses; Marine mammals -- Periodicals; Marine mammals, Fossil -- Periodicals; Mammifères marins -- Périodiques; 599.5
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2011.00561.x
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0824-0469

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>A<sc>bstract</sc></title> <p>Density estimation for marine mammal species is performed primarily using visual distance sampling or capture‐recapture. Minke whales in Hawaiian waters are very difficult to sight; however, they produce a distinctive "boing" call, making them ideal candidates for passive acoustic density estimation. We used an array of 14 bottom‐mounted hydrophones, distributed over a 60 × 30 km area off Kauai, Hawaii, to estimate density during 12 d of recordings in early 2006. We converted the number of acoustic cues (<italic>i.e.</italic>, boings) detected using signal processing software into a cue density by accounting for the false positive rate and probability of detection. The former was estimated by manual validation, the latter by applying spatially explicit capture‐recapture (SECR) methods to a subset of data where we had determined which hydrophones detected each call. Estimated boing density was 130 boings per hour per 10, 000 km² (95% CI 104–163). Little is known about the population's acoustic behavior, so conversion from boing to animal density is difficult. As a demonstration of the method, we used a tentative boing rate of 6.04 boings per hour, from a single animal tracked in 2009, to give an estimate of 21.5 boing‐calling minke whales per 10, 000 km².</p> </abstract>