Simultaneous tracking of blue whales and large ships demonstrates limited behavioral responses for avoiding collision

摘要: Collisions between ships and whales are reported throughout the world's oceans. For some endangered whale populations, ship strikes a major threat to survival recovery. Fac- tors known affect incidence severity of collisions include spatial co-occurrence whales, hydrodynamic forces around ships, speed. Less understood likely key understanding differences in interactions is behavior pres- ence ships. In commercial shipping lanes off southern California, we simultaneously recorded blue movement. A total 20 passages with 9 individual were observed at distances ranging from 60 3600 m. We documented dive response (i.e. shallow during surface period) path oncoming 55% passages, but found no evidence for lateral avoidance. Descent rate, duration, maxi- mum depth dives similar immediately after suction-cup tag deployments. These behavioral data combined evaluate maximum speed that would allow time avoid an ship. Our analysis suggests ability limited relatively slow descents, horizontal movements away posit this constrained repertoire limit their adjust different speeds. This factor making perhaps other large more vul- nerable strikes.