The extreme rarity of North Pacific right whales and the vast and remote area they inhabit poses a special challenge for population assessment. In some years there are no sightings. We use a variety of techniques to increase our ability to detect North Pacific right whales. We look for whales during dedicated vessel and aerial surveys, and on fish surveys. We listen for them using acoustic recorders moored on the sea bottom, and sonobuoys deployed from vessels and airplanes.

Behavioral Research

Passive acoustics are also used to study whale behavior and vocalization, which increases our ability to detect North Pacific right whales for more accurate determinations of their distributions. Scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Marine Mammal Laboratory were the first to definitively attribute gunshot calls to North Pacific right whales. We combine visual observations of behavior with passive acoustic monitoring to correlate vocal activity with surface behavior. We also are working with scientists from other institutions to determine at which depths the whales are calling.