Orange Orca Podcast: Whale Science Made Simple 🐋🎙️

Summary: North Atlantic Right Whale Acoustic Abundance Research
This briefing summarizes research on estimating the abundance of the Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) and aerial surveys. The study focuses on Cape Cod Bay (CCB), a critical foraging area, highlighting the advantages of PAM in providing cost-effective, continuous monitoring compared to traditional aerial surveys.
The study, conducted from February to June 2019, used five Marine Autonomous Recording Units (MARUs) to collect acoustic data. Key steps included:
Automated Upcall Detection: A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) identified NARW upcalls with high precision (precision: 0.857, recall: 0.896).
Acoustic Association: A time-difference-of-arrival (TDoA) approach minimized double-counting of calls across MARUs.
Acoustic-Visual Calibration: A quasi-Poisson regression model correlated upcalls with aerial survey data.
Daily Abundance Estimation: The model estimated whale abundance, revealing peak presence in late March and early April and higher upcall rates at night.
High uncertainty: 95% prediction intervals spanned ~50 whales per day due to observational and availability biases.
Call variability: Vocalizations depend on group size, behavior, and environmental conditions.
Algorithmic accuracy: The model may underestimate calls when vocal activity is high.
Enhancing data fusion methods to integrate aerial and acoustic survey data.
Expanding studies to include additional NARW call types (e.g., gunshots, tonal calls).
Adapting the methodology for other endangered cetacean species using semi-automated pipelines.
Implementing acoustic spatially explicit capture-recapture (aSECR) for improved abundance estimation.
The Orange Orca Podcast plays a key role in disseminating research using AI-powered tools, ensuring broader awareness of whale conservation challenges. This study underscores PAM’s potential in improving abundance estimates, though integrating multiple survey methods is critical for precise population assessments.
This research involved experts from multiple institutions:
Research & Authorship:
Marissa L. Garcia
Irina Tolkova
Shyam Madhusudhana
Ashakur Rahaman
C. Scott Baker
Charles A. Mayo
Christine A. Hudak
Holger Klinck

Data Collection:
Chris Tessaglia-Hymes
Dr. Christopher Clark (K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics)
Amy James & Captain Marc Costa (Center for Coastal Studies)

Data Analysis & Software:
Raven Pro 1.6.2, Koogu, TensorFlow v1.13, Python (3.11), R
Kenneth Tyler Wilcox (Cornell Statistical Consulting Unit)

Funding:
U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (Dr. Michael J. Weise, Dr. Scott Baker)
Additional fellowships and research programs

Review & Publication:
Editorial oversight by Michael Noad (Endangered Species Research)

The research underscores the importance of PAM in marine conservation and the need for ongoing innovation to refine abundance estimation techniques.
Key Findings & MethodologyChallenges & LimitationsFuture Research & ImplicationsStudy Contributors

Source: https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v56/p101-115/

This research explores the intricate communication system of sperm whales, focusing on their use of coda clicks. While codas have long been considered simple identity markers, this study reveals a deeper structure, showing that sperm whale vocalizations possess context-sensitive and context-independent features, forming a more complex communication system than previously understood.
Researchers identified context-sensitive features such as "rubato" (fine-grained variations in duration) and "ornamentation" (extra clicks added to codas). These variations may allow sperm whales to express emphasis, social cues, or nuanced meanings, much like prosody in human speech. Context-independent features, including rhythm and tempo, remain stable across different interactions, serving as foundational elements of their vocal system.
The combination of these elements suggests that sperm whales possess a phonetic-like system, where codas are not just fixed patterns but flexible signals that can be modified, expanding their communicative range. This combinatorial structure shares similarities with human language, where discrete units combine to form meaningful expressions. Such flexibility implies sperm whale vocalizations could convey more information than previously assumed.
These findings lay the groundwork for further research into the semantics and function of codas. Future studies may determine whether certain sequences correspond to specific meanings, emotional states, or behavioral contexts. Understanding the structure of sperm whale communication could also provide insights into the evolution of complex vocal systems in non-human species, as similar combinatorial structures are seen in primates, dolphins, and some bird species.
Beyond its biological significance, this research highlights critical conservation concerns. Sperm whales rely heavily on acoustic signals for navigation, social cohesion, and coordination. Anthropogenic noise pollution, such as shipping traffic and underwater industrial activities, could disrupt these intricate communication patterns, affecting social structures and survival strategies. Understanding sperm whale vocal complexity can help assess the impact of human activities and inform conservation policies.
Ultimately, this study suggests that sperm whales use a structured, flexible "phonetic alphabet of the deep sea," expanding our understanding of their intelligence and social lives. By identifying both context-sensitive and independent vocal elements, researchers provide compelling evidence that sperm whale communication is far more sophisticated than previously thought. This work paves the way for interdisciplinary studies combining linguistics, marine biology, and artificial intelligence to further decode the language of these remarkable deep-diving mammals.


This study brings together experts in AI, marine biology, and bioacoustics to analyze sperm whale communication. Pratyusha Sharma, Daniela Rus, Antonio Torralba, and Jacob Andreas (MIT, Project CETI) applied AI and computational linguistics to whale vocalizations. Shane Gero (Project CETI, Carleton University) contributed field expertise from The Dominica Sperm Whale Project. Roger Payne (Project CETI), known for discovering whale song, provided historical insights. David F. Gruber (City University of New York) added ecological perspectives. Referenced scientists Hal Whitehead, Luke Rendell, and Peter Madsen laid the groundwork for studying whale vocal clans and bioacoustics. The study focused on 400 sperm whales from the EC-1 clan, uncovering a complex, structured "phonetic alphabet" in their codas, suggesting a more sophisticated communication system than previously known.

The Study can be found at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47221-8

In this episode, we delve into a recent study led by researchers from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, including Omar García-Castañeda, Lorena Viloria-Gómora, and Véronique Sophie Ávila-Foucat. The study examines the challenges facing North Pacific gray whales and the whale-watching industry in Bahia Magdalena, Mexico. After a significant recovery from overexploitation, these whales have experienced unusual mortality events and a decline in calf production since 2019. Researchers developed a comprehensive model integrating ecological data—such as long-term whale counts—and socioeconomic factors, including tourist satisfaction and regulatory compliance. The study identifies key stressors like climate-induced changes in feeding and breeding areas, as well as the impact of tourism practices. Join us as we explore the intricate balance between conservation efforts and sustainable tourism, and discuss strategies to enhance the resilience of this vital social-ecological system.

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Show Notes
The Research Study: Climate change stands as the new challenge for whale watching and North Pacific gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in Bahia Magdalena, Mexico, after their recovery from overexploitation
The full research can be found at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2024.1397204/full
Omar García-Castañeda: Researcher at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, lead author of the study on gray whale watching in Bahía Magdalena.
Lorena Viloria-Gómora: Researcher at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur and Gray Whale Research in Mexico, co-author of the study on gray whale watching in Bahía Magdalena.
Véronique Sophie Ávila-Foucat: Researcher at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, co-author of the study on gray whale watching in Bahía Magdalena.
Ernesto Vicente Vega-Peña: Researcher at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, co-author of the study on gray whale watching in Bahía Magdalena.
Mario A. Pardo: Researcher at Consejo Nacional de Humanidades Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT) – Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), co-author of the study on gray whale watching in Bahía Magdalena.
Gino Jafet Quintero-Venegas: Researcher at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, co-author of the study on gray whale watching in Bahía Magdalena.
Jorge Urbán R.: Researcher at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur and Gray Whale Research in Mexico, co-author of the study on gray whale watching in Bahía Magdalena.
Steven Swartz: Researcher at Gray Whale Research in Mexico, co-author of the study on gray whale watching in Bahía Magdalena.
Enrique Martínez-Meyer: Researcher at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, co-author of the study on gray whale watching in Bahía Magdalena.
Eguchi: Conducted population size estimates for the Eastern North Pacific gray whales during the Unusual Mortality Event (UME).
Stewart: Conducted a recent study that found a relationship between gray whale abundance and the biomass of food (crustaceans).