Southern Resident killer whale acoustic monitoring and noise measurements to inform noise mitigation and potential management strategies

Abstract

SMRU Consulting, in collaboration with the ECHO Program, the San Juan County MRC and DFO, has been monitoring Salish Sea underwater soundscapes for the presence of Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW), to measure ambient noise levels, evaluate the efficacy of noise mitigation measures and inform potential management strategies. This talk will highlight results from four projects across the years 2019–2021. This includes measurements from a cabled observatory at Lime Kiln Point State Park in support of the ECHO Program’s Haro Strait commercial vessel slowdowns; measurements from autonomous recorders at five locations in Burrard Inlet for the ECHO Program and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation to monitor trends in ambient noise and marine mammal presence; measurements from Coastal Acoustic Buoys at eight locations south of San Juan Island in support of San Juan County’s management efforts, and a Coastal Acoustic Buoy for Offshore Wind deployment near Point Roberts to allow DFO to evaluate acoustic technology. This talk will discuss the pros and cons of these four different acoustic systems and highlight trends in the data that may help inform mitigation and management strategies.