Behavior of bowhead whales of the Davis Strait and Bering/Beaufort stocks versus regional differences in human activities. Final report on Phase 2

Technical Report · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:5037414

Miller, G W; Davis, R A; Richardson, W J

The objectives were to determine (1) whether there are differences in behavior between the Bering/Chukchi/Beaufort and the Davis Strait/Baffin Bay populations and (2), if so, whether the differences might be attributable to the long-term cumulative effects of exposure to the presumed greater amount of human activity in the former area. Phase 1 showed that there are some differences in behavior. The Phase 2 report documents the relative amounts of human activity in the two areas in 1974-86, and evaluates whether regional differences in whale behavior and in human activities may be related. Activities considered include bowhead hunting and other subsistence activities, commercial fishing and shipping, marine seismic exploration, offshore oil exploration, and low-level aircraft flights. Bering/Beaufort bowheads were subjected to at least 3-5 times as much human activity in 1974-86. Most differences in behavior between the two stocks were better explained by environmental or biological factors than by disturbance. However, for bowheads migrating in autumn, regional differences in behavior may be related to the whaling that occurs in the Beaufort Sea in autumn.

• Research Organization: LGL Ltd., King City, ON (Canada)
• OSTI ID: 5037414
• Report Number(s): PB-91-235267/XAB; LGL-TA--833-2; CNN: DI-14-12-0001-30390
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AIRCRAFT
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARCTIC OCEAN
BEAUFORT SEA
BEHAVIOR
BERING SEA
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CETACEANS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DRILLING
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
EVALUATION
EXPLORATION
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
MAMMALS
NOISE POLLUTION
OFFSHORE DRILLING
PACIFIC OCEAN
POLLUTION
POPULATION DYNAMICS
REGIONAL ANALYSIS
SEAS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
VERTEBRATES