02936nas a2200181 4500008004100000245009900041210006900140520225500209100002302464700002002487700002202507700001902529700001702548700002002565700002702585700002202612856012002634 2016 eng d00aPreliminary Report on Long-term Detection of Arabian Sea Humpback Whale Vocalizations off Oman0 aPreliminary Report on Longterm Detection of Arabian Sea Humpback3 a

This report presents an overview of the progress to date on the humpback whale detection component of the Arabian Sea Humpback Whale Acoustic Research program off Oman. Three archival acoustic recorders were deployed at sites in two regions for approximately one year each, in Hallaniyats Bay during 2011/2012, and the Gulf of Masirah during 2012/2013. Performance of recorders varied among deployments, but despite some challenges due to equipment failures we succeeded in documenting spatiotemporal patterns in the presence of humpback whales in a large dataset. Several key findings broaden our understanding of the Arabian Sea humpback whale population off Oman. There appears a strong seasonal component to the use of song by this population, primarily from November through May, which is congruent with the Northern Hemisphere breeding cycle and singing season. Throughout this period, singing was heard in both Hallaniyats Bay and the Gulf of Masirah, separated by approximately 400km, indicating that the population utilizes both of these regions. However, there was a much stronger presence in Hallaniyats Bay, with song heard nearly 24 hours/day during the peak months, and song detected simultaneously at multiple sites across the Bay. Previous boat-based survey data indicated similar trends, however, given limitation in the duration of this fieldwork the current acoustic dataset provides a more reliable indication of this population’s breeding related activity. This suggests that the Hallaniyats Bay might serve as a more important habitat for breeding activity than the monitored region of the Gulf of Masirah. There also appeared to be a subtle northward shift in distribution of detections as the singing season progressed, both within Hallaniyats Bay, and from Hallaniyats Bay to the Gulf of Masirah, suggesting a seasonal shift in distribution for singing males. During the summer and autumn months, very little song was detected, however sparse detections indicate that whales are present in both regions during at least some of this period. It is recommended that similar acoustic monitoring be conducted in all range states of the population to elucidate spatiotemporal distribution throughout the Arabian Sea.

1 aCerchio, Salvatore1 aWillson, Andrew1 aMuirhead, Charles1 aMinton, Gianna1 aCollins, Tim1 aBaldwin, Robert1 aWillson, Maia, Sarrouf1 aHarthi, Suaad, Al uhttps://bio.acousti.ca/content/preliminary-report-long-term-detection-arabian-sea-humpback-whale-vocalizations-oman00485nas a2200121 4500008004100000245013000041210006900171260001600240100002100256700002200277700002100299856004300320 2016 eng d00aSuccessful suction-cup tagging of a small delphinid species, Stenella attenuata: Insights into whistle characteristics0 aSuccessful suctioncup tagging of a small delphinid species iSten cJan-12-20161 aSilva, Tammy, L.1 aSayigh, Laela, S.1 aBaird, Robin, W. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.1237600474nas a2200121 4500008004100000245011600041210006900157260001600226100002600242700002200268700001900290856004300309 2016 eng d00aEcholocation and burst clicks from franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) on the coast of Uruguay0 aEcholocation and burst clicks from franciscana dolphins iPontopo cJan-12-20161 aTellechea, Javier, S.1 aFerreira, Marcelo1 aNorbis, Walter uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.1238302101nas a2200265 4500008004100000245012000041210006900161260001600230520128800246653001401534653001701548653001901565653001501584653001301599653002401612653001301636100002001649700002201669700002601691700002201717700002001739700001701759700001601776856004301792 2016 eng d00aAcoustic classification of dolphins in the California Current using whistles, echolocation clicks, and burst pulses0 aAcoustic classification of dolphins in the California Current us cJan-12-20163 a

Passive acoustic monitoring of dolphins is limited by our ability to classify calls to species. Significant overlap in call characteristics among many species, combined with a wide range of call types and acoustic behavior, makes classification of calls to species challenging. Here, we introduce BANTER, a compound acoustic classification method for dolphins that utilizes information from all call types produced by dolphins rather than a single call type, as has been typical for acoustic classifiers. Output from the passive acoustic monitoring software, PAMGuard, was used to create independent classifiers for whistles, echolocation clicks, and burst pulses, which were then merged into a final, compound classifier for each species. Classifiers for five species found in the California Current ecosystem were trained and tested using 153 single-species acoustic events recorded during a 4.5 mo combined visual and acoustic shipboard cetacean survey off the west coast of the United States. Correct classification scores for individual species ranged from 71% to 92%, with an overall correct classification score of 84% for all five species. The conceptual framework of this approach easily lends itself to other species and study areas as well as to noncetacean taxa.

10aacoustics10aburst pulses10aclassification10adelphinids10adolphins10aecholocation clicks10awhistles1 aRankin, Shannon1 aArcher, Frederick1 aKeating, Jennifer, L.1 aOswald, Julie, N.1 aOswald, Michael1 aCurtis, Alex1 aBarlow, Jay uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.12381