02339nas a2200169 4500008004100000022001300041245015500054210006900209260001600278300001100294490000800305520173500313100002402048700002202072700002902094856004602123 2021 eng d a0006320700aTowards an enhanced management of recreational whale watching: The use of ecological and behavioural data to support evidence-based management actions0 aTowards an enhanced management of recreational whale watching Th cJan-03-2021 a1090090 v2553 a

Recognition of the potential disturbance from whale-based tourism has stimulated the discussion of whether whale watching remains ‘no take’. Here we use observations and passive acoustic surveillance of tourism activities of foraging gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) on the west coast of Vancouver Island to better understand the pressures on whales that are repeatedly subject to aerial and vessel-based viewing. Pressure from the fleet was greatest for low prey years, whereby fewer whales were subject to a greater number of encounters with whale watching vessels. The pressure on operators for close encounters was also greater during these years. The acoustic recordings found that whale watching vessels shaped the soundscape, with a distinct diurnal pattern. Acoustic reactions by the whales were also noted. Cow-calf pairs showed increased calling rate in the presence of vessels in the feeding bay, with calling rate of single foraging whales increasing as vessel number, particularly those engaged in whale watching, increased. These responses have implications for energetics, communication success. The implications of acoustic disturbance from whale watching has yet to be well defined, but it is only one of many stressors that gray whales are subject to. The results of this study lead us to argue for greater evidence-based management of whale watching; restrictions on encounters; noise emission limitations; requiems for the whales, and a greater interpretative component for passengers. The aggregate and cumulative effects of disturbance should also be emphasized in vessel-whale interaction guidelines, with the most vulnerable individuals removed from the viewing resource altogether.

1 aBurnham, Rianna, E.1 aDuffus, David, A.1 aMalcolm, Christopher, D. uhttps://bio.acousti.ca/zh-hant/node/5841201712nas a2200145 4500008004100000022001400041245008000055210006900135260001600204300001200220490000800232520123500240100003401475856005701509 2021 eng d a0735-703600aA new look at universals and specificities in the songs of humpback whales.0 anew look at universals and specificities in the songs of humpbac cJan-02-2021 a25 - 270 v1353 a

In this issue’s featured article, Mercado and Perazio (2021) describe songs of humpback whales using acoustic qualities, in part to determine the degree of similarity in songs across time and space that have not been revealed by information-theoretic analyses. They are particularly interested in evaluating alternative explanations of song variations in humpback whales. They argue that if humpback whales’ songs “are . . . transmitted through acoustic contact followed by imitation” (p. 29) then (a) songs of populations not in acoustic contact should diverge, (b) songs of the same population should diverge increasingly over time, and (c) song forms separated by multiple decades either within or across populations should be dissimilar. Alternatively, acoustic similarities in song structure across populations and/or across decades in the same population would challenge the hypothesis that socially mediated learning is the primary driver of variation in the structure of humpback whales’ songs over time. If that is the case, then identifying universal properties of song composition is important to move the field forward. Broadening the analytical tool kit can help in this effort.

1 aFragaszy, Dorothy, Munkenbeck uhttp://doi.apa.org/getdoi.cfm?doi=10.1037/com000027002090nas a2200157 4500008004100000022001400041245012600055210006900181260001600250300001200266490000800278520154100286100002101827700002701848856005701875 2021 eng d a0735-703600aSimilarities in composition and transformations of songs by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) over time and space.0 aSimilarities in composition and transformations of songs by hump cJan-02-2021 a28 - 500 v1353 a

The complex songs produced by humpback whales have been cited as evidence of prodigious memory, innovativeness, sophisticated auditory scene analysis, vocal imitation, and even culture. Researchers believe humpbacks learn their songs culturally because songs appear to change rapidly, consistently, and irreversibly across whales within a population. Here, we present evidence of similarities in song structure both across populations and decades that strongly challenge claims that social learning is the main driver of variations in humpback whale songs over time. Groups of humpback whales that were not in acoustic contact (recorded in Puerto Rico in 1970, Hawaii in 2012, and Colombia in 2013–2019) produced songs in acoustically comparable cycles, suggesting that progression through sound patterns within and across songs is not simply determined by vocal imitation of innovative patterns, but may instead be controlled by production templates that prescribe how singers construct and transform songs over time. Identifying universal constraints on song production is critical to evaluating the role of vocal imitation and cultural transmission in the progressive changes that humpback whales make to their songs and for evaluating the functional relevance of such changes. The current findings illustrate how information theoretic analyses of vocal sequences can potentially obscure key acoustic qualities of signals that may be critical to understanding how vocalizers produce, perceive, and use those sequences.

1 aMercado, Eduardo1 aPerazio, Christina, E. uhttp://doi.apa.org/getdoi.cfm?doi=10.1037/com0000268