Acoustically estimated size distribution of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off the east coast of New Zealand

ABSTRACT

The length-frequency distribution of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) was studied on the east coast of NZ using passive acoustic recorders moored offshore of Kaikoura, Cape Palliser and Castlepoint. Sperm whale’s echolocation signals are unique among odontocete species. Their clicks are composed by multiple pulses resulting from the sound transmission within the whale head. The total length of the whales can be estimated by measuring the time delay between these pulses. A total of 997 length measurements were obtained from click trains using cepstral analysis (mean?=?14.6?m; min?=?9.6?m; max?=?18.3?m; std?=?1?m). The size-frequency distributions at all three locations were similar, although animals smaller than 12?m were not present offshore of Kaikoura. Animals of various sizes appeared to be present all year round, with no apparent seasonality in the occurrence of any size class.     

地震与爆破波形信号的EEMD多尺度分布熵提取和WOA-SOM神经网络识别研究

针对地震信号中存在大量环境噪声的问题,基于天然地震事件和人工爆破事件建立初始数据集,利用集合经验模态分解（EEMD）技术对波形信号进行分解、降噪,提取出较纯净的各阶本征模态函数（IMF）分量,然后对前10阶分量分别计算分布熵,即EEMD多尺度分布熵,建立神经网络输入矩阵。应用鲸鱼优化算法（WOA）对自组织特征映射（SOM）神经网络参数（竞争层维数、网络训练次数）进行优化,针对不同训练样本寻找对应的最优参数值以改善模式识别的稳定性,从而提高地震识别率。结果表明,EEMD多尺度分布熵结合WOA-SOM模型可有效识别天然地震和人工地震。     

Contamination of Tris(4-Chlorophenyl) Methane and Tris(4-Chlorophenyl) Methanol in Marine Mammals from Russia and Japan: Body Distribution, Bioaccumulation and Contamination Status

Four seal species (Phoca caspica, Phoca sibirica, Phoca hispida and Phoca largha) and one whale (Orcinus orca) from Russia and Japan were examined to determine the body distribution, bioaccumulation and contamination status of tris(4-chlorophenyl) methane (TCPMe) and tris(4-chlorophenyl) methanol (TCPMOH). Lipid normalized concentrations of TCPMe and TCPMOH were comparable in various organs and tissues, implying that their body distribution is followed to the lipid-dependent accumulation, similar to that for other organochlorines. The highest body burden of these compounds was found in the blubber. Bioaccumulation potential of TCPMe and TCPMOH was high and comparable to PCBs and DDTs. Relatively higher concentrations of TCPMe and TCPMOH were observed in Caspian seal than in other seal species examined. TCPMOH concentration in killer whale was the highest of the marine mammals examined. Another peak detected had similar mass spectrum to TCPMOH, however, at a different retention time, suggesting the presence of an isomer of TCPMOH.     

普里兹湾虎鲸回声定位信号脉冲间隔特征分析

根据2017年中国第33次南极科考期间获取的普里兹湾虎鲸声信号观测资料,采用Teager能量算子法对虎鲸回声定位信号进行了检测,并分析了其脉冲间隔的统计特征。对115段回声定位信号的参数分析结果显示:脉冲间隔的范围为10.5～183.5 ms,均值与标准差分别为67.5和27.6 ms。进一步分析,发现脉冲间隔数值的变化具有显著的规律性,根据拟合表达式可以将信号分成5种类型:加速型、减速型、匀速型、先减速后加速型、先加速后减速型。其中减速型的总体占比最高,为58.3%;其次为匀速型与加速型,分别为20.0%,14.8%;其余2类占比最低,均仅为3.5%。普里兹湾虎鲸回声定位信号脉冲间隔规律性变化可能是虎鲸调节其信号以适应活动海域多海冰环境的结果。此外,加速型、减速型、匀速型与先减速后加速型、先加速后减速型的脉冲间隔参数存在较大差异,且后2种类型的-3 dB带宽以及峰值频率与脉冲间隔存在显著的负相关关系,这表明虎鲸在发出后两种类型的回声定位信号时处理的情况与前3种类型相比可能更为复杂与特殊。     

小鳁鲸的一些生物学测量数据

2004年6月山东省威海石岛的渔民偶然误捕了一头须鲸,经作者鉴定,此标本系小鳁鲸(Balaenoptera acutorostrata)。主要鉴别特征:头背面的嵴明显;左右鳍肢各有一白色的横斑;有282对白色的鲸须板。同时还对其进行了较详细的观察和测量,值得一提的是此鲸存有异常现象:有一假脐,乳沟位于生殖裂后端而非生殖裂的两旁。     

Toothed whales in the northwestern Mediterranean: insight into their feeding ecology using chemical tracers

Risso’s dolphins, pilot whales and sperm whales rarely strand in the northwestern Mediterranean. Thus, their feeding ecology, through the analysis of stomach contents, is poorly known. The aim of this study was to gain further insight into the segregation/superposition of the diet and habitat of Risso’s dolphins, pilot whales and sperm whales using chemical tracers, namely, stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) and organochlorines. Significantly different δ¹⁵N values were obtained in Risso’s dolphins (11.7 ± 0.7‰), sperm whales (10.8 ± 0.3‰) and pilot whales (9.8 ± 0.3‰), revealing different trophic levels. These differences are presumably due to various proportions of Histioteuthidae cephalopods in each toothed whale’s diet. Similar δ¹³C contents between species indicated long-term habitat superposition or corroborated important seasonal migrations. Lower congener 180 concentrations (8.20 vs. 21.73 μg.g⁻¹ lw) and higher tDDT/tPCB ratios (0.93 vs. 0.42) were observed in sperm whales compared with Risso’s dolphins and may indicate wider migrations for the former. Therefore, competition between these species seems to depend on different trophic levels and migration patterns.     

Characterization of the southeastern US black sea bass (Centropristis striata) pot commercial fishery and implications for western North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) management and policy

A vital component of marine policy is the conservation and management of diverse marine resources. In the southeastern US, commercial fishermen target black sea bass (Centropristis striata) with pots from North Carolina to Cape Canaveral, Florida. During the fall through spring fishing season, western North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) distribution overlaps the black sea bass commercial pot fishery. Fishermen interviews revealed that the number of pots set ranged from 3 to 240 and the number of pots set per trawl ranged from 1 to 18. Generally, the amount of gear increased from south to north.     

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in killer whales (Orcinus orca) from the Crozet Archipelago, southern Indian Ocean

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), and dibenzofurans (PCDFs), are ubiquitous environmental contaminants of which significant concentrations are reported in upper trophic level animals. In 1998, we collected blubber biopsy samples (n = 11) from killer whales (Orcinus orca) inhabiting the coastal waters around Possession Island, Crozet Archipelago, southern Indian Ocean, for contaminant analyses. Despite inhabiting an isolated region far removed from industrial activities, these killer whales can presently be considered among the most PCB-contaminated cetaceans in the southern hemisphere, with concentrations ranging from 4.4 to 20.5 mg/kg lipid weight (lw). PCDD levels ranged from below the detection limit (5 ng/kg) to 77.1 ng/kg lw and PCDF levels from below the detection limit (7 ng/kg) to 36.1 ng/kg lw. Over 70% of our study animals had PCB concentrations which exceeded a 1.3 mg/kg PCB threshold established for endocrine disruption and immunotoxicity in free-ranging harbour seals, suggesting that organic contaminants cannot be ruled out as an additional threat to this declining population.     

Analysis of occurrence patterns and biological factors of cetaceans based on long‐term and fine‐scale data from platforms of opportunity: Madeira Island as a case study

Management and conservation issues are addressed through the identification of areas of particular importance, which requires the acquisition of baseline information on species distribution and dynamics. These types of data are particularly difficult to obtain at high resolution for large marine vertebrates like cetaceans, given that dedicated surveys are complex and logistically expensive. This study uses daily presence–absence sighting data of cetaceans collected year‐round from whale‐watching boats to support the theory that fine‐scale data obtained from platforms of opportunity can provide valuable information on species occurrence and group dynamics. Data from 7,551 (daily) sightings comprising 22 species were collected from 3,527 surveyed days over 11 years (mean of 321 days per year, SD = 17) in the pelagic environment of Madeira Island. Cetaceans were observed on 92% of the surveyed days, and a mean of 15.4 (SD = 1.5), 8.2 (SD = 2.0) and 2.1 (SD = 1.2) species were recorded per year, month, and day, respectively. There were significant differences in the number of species per month (p < .001), with the highest diversity recorded in June. At least nine species, comprising 96% of all sightings, were found to use the Madeiran waters on a regular basis, such as the Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis), the short‐beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and others featured in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Endangered, Vulnerable, and Data Deficient. In addition, 10 species were found to use the Madeiran waters for travelling, feeding, resting, socializing and calving, which suggests that the southern and southeastern waters of Madeira Island constitute an area of interest for cetaceans. This study characterizes the cetaceans’ community structure (occurrence, aggregation sizes, behaviours, proportion of calves, and inter‐specific relationships) of a poorly studied region, providing important information for managers. Finally, the advantages and limitations of using fine‐scale data from a type of platform of opportunity that is increasing along coastlines globally are discussed.