Whale conservation

Whales are capable of diving to great depths and can stay submerged for relatively long periods of time—nearly four hours, in the case of one Cuvier’s beaked whale. butBut since they breathe air, whales must surface periodically. Baleen whales feed on krill and other small creatures whichthat typically stay near the ocean’s surface. A combination of whales’whale biology and behavior makes it possible to track them from the sky using either human-flown aircraft or uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), following applicable local and federal regulations.

So-called “SnotBots” are custom-built or modified uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are fitted with sample-collection equipment, such as petri dishes or microscope slides.

Small UAVs are able to fly close above the water’s surface and can position themselves above a whale’s blowhole. The mucus droplets expelled from a whale’s blowhole contain microbes and chemical signatures whichthat can help scientists understand the condition of any particular whale, and these data can be used tohelp assess the health of local whale populations as a whole. Researchers have established that whale mucus can be a viable replacement for taking blubber samples.

Whale conservation is the focus of many academic research labs and nonprofit organizations.

Whales are capable of diving to great depths and can stay submerged for relatively long periods of time—nearly four hours, in the case of one Cuvier’s beaked whale but since they breathe air, whales must surface periodically. Baleen whales feed on krill and other small creatures which typically stay near the ocean’s surface. A combination of whales’ biology and behavior makes it possible to track them from the sky using either human-flown aircraft or crewlessuncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), following applicable local and federal regulations.

So-called “SnotBots” are custom-built or modified crewlessuncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are fitted with sample-collection equipment such as petri dishes or microscope slides.

An autonomous underwater vehicle is aan crewlessuncrewed underwater vehicle that can navigate and move without human assistance or input. AUVs are a portion of the larger grouping of undersea systems known as crewlessuncrewed underwater vehicles, which includes remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) and underwater gliders.

Whales are capable of diving to great depths and can stay submerged for relatively long periods of time—nearly four hours, in the case of one Cuvier’s beaked whale but since they breathe air, whales must surface periodically. Baleen whales feed on krill and other small creatures which typically stay near the ocean’s surface. A combination of whales’ biology and behavior makes it possible to track them from the sky using either human-flown aircraft or unmannedcrewless aerial vehicles (UAVs), following applicable local and federal regulations.

So-called “SnotBots” are custom-built or modified unmannedcrewless aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are fitted with sample-collection equipment such as petri dishes or microscope slides.

An autonomous underwater vehicle is ana unmannedcrewless underwater vehicle that can navigate and move without human assistance or input. AUVs are a portion of the larger grouping of undersea systems known as unmannedcrewless underwater vehicles, which includes remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) and underwater gliders.

Whale Safe is an initiative from the University of California Santa Barbara's Benioff Ocean Initiative––in collaboration with whale biologists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Texas A&M University Galveston, the University of California Santa Cruz, University of Washington, and NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center––toCenter––that tracktracks whale and shipping activity to provide new scientific research into how to reduce the risk of whale-ship collisions, specifically in the Santa Barbara Channel.

AUVs have various purposes and applications from research, to drug trafficking. In research, the autonomous vessel moves along the ocean floor, and when equipped with sensors, can provide data back to scientists about the chemical composition of the water and the surrounding sand. It can also be used to measure water concentrations, absorption and refraction of light, and microscopic life presences.

Underwater gliders are a form of an AUV that is often used in whale conservation and location tracking. Gliders are capable of moving forwardsforward, backward, and side-to-side. They can be equipped with various types of sensors like other AUVs, to collect data on the ocean and its wildlife.

In a study conducted at the Baumgartner Lab, gliders were used to track the vocalizations of Baleen whales by equipping the gliders with high-resolution acoustics sensors. Initially, the project was set for the duration of a week, but when the gliders proved effective over longer periods of time the study was extended to a period greater than one month.

• Habitat degredationdegradation

There are a number of technologies whichthat are used for tracking whales in the wild.

Whales are capable of diving to great depths and can stay submerged for relatively long periods of time – nearlytime—nearly four hours, in the case of one Cuvier’s beaked whale – but since they breathe air, whales must surface periodically. Baleen whales feed on krill and other small creatures which typically stay near the ocean’s surface. A combination of whales’ biology and behavior makes it possible to track them from the sky using either human-flown aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), following applicable local and federal regulations.

So-called “SnotBots” are custom-built or modified unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which that are fitted with sample-collection equipment such as petri dishes or microscope slides.

Whales are marine mammals that are generally at or near the top of the food chain in their local ecology. Whale conservation comprises the set of research, policy-making, and economic activities aimed at protecting and preserving whale populations.

Human activity has put pressure on whales since before the advent of written records. Evidence of whale hunting may date back as far as 6000 BCE, based on archeological research work conducted at the Bangudae site in South Korea.

Evidence of whale hunting may date back as far as 6000 BCE, based on archeological research work conducted at the Bangudae site in South Korea.

Apart from whaling, whales face other threats from human activity:

• By-catch (e.g. entanglement in fishing gear)
• Ship strikes
• Toxic contamination
• Noise pollution (such as from sonar and underwater resource extraction activities)
• Habitat degredation

In a study conducted at the Baumgartner LabBaumgartner Lab gliders were used to track the vocalizations of Baleen whales by equipping the gliders with high-resolution acoustics sensors. Initially, the project was set for the duration of a week, but when the gliders proved effective over longer periods of time the study was extended to a period greater than one month.