PROJECTS

As part of an ongoing study of the distribution and demographics of several marine mammal species within SOCAL, we conducted 17 days of survey effort from 3 September 2021 to 15 November 2021, specifically focusing on the Southern California Anti-submarine Warfare Range (SOAR). The primary goal of these surveys was sighting, photographing, and collecting biopsy samples from Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus).

In the Pacific the Marine Mammal Monitoring on Navy Ranges (M3R) program maintains systems that automatically detect, classify and localize marine mammals in real-time on the U.S. Navy’s deep-water Southern California Antisubmarine Warfare Range (SOAR) in Southern California and Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) off Hawai’i. Long-term archive data collected on these ranges allows for numerous types of studies on species inhabiting the ranges, including the monitoring of abundance and distribution, behavioral responses to naval activities, and habitat usage. They also provide the opportunity to study ambient noise and soundscapes.

Beaked whale abundance and vocal behavior were examined at two different U. S. Navy training ranges: for Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) at the Southern California Anti-Submarine Warfare Range (SOAR) between August 2010 through October 2019, and for Blainville’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) between 2015 and 2018. The yearly and monthly abundance, mean number of group vocal periods (GVPs), mean duration of the GVPs in minutes, and the mean number of clicks detected per beaked whale group were calculated.

As part of an ongoing study of the distribution and demographics of several marine mammal species within SOCAL, we conducted 28 days of survey effort from 2 January 2019 to 17 November 2019, specifically focusing on the Southern California Anti-submarine Warfare Range (SOAR). The primary goal of these surveys was sighting, photographing, and collecting biopsy samples from Cuvier’s beaked whales and fin whales.

As part of an ongoing study of the distribution and demographics of several marine mammal species within SOCAL, we conducted 11 days of survey effort from 4 January 2020 to 8 October 2020, specifically focusing on the Southern California Anti-submarine Warfare Range (SOAR). The primary goal of these surveys was sighting, photographing, and collecting biopsy samples from Cuvier’s beaked whales and fin whales.

The Southern California Offshore Complex (SOCAL) is one of the US Navy’s most active training areas, particularly concerning the use of Mid-Frequency Active Sonar (MFAS). Much of SOCAL lies within the Southern California Bight, a productive oceanographic region that hosts a wide variety of marine species. As part of an ongoing study of the distribution and demographics of several marine mammal species within SOCAL, we conducted 10 days of survey effort from 5 January 2018 to 20 November 2018, specifically focusing on the Southern California Anti-submarine Warfare Range (SOAR). The primary goal of these surveys was sighting, photographing, and collecting biopsy samples from Cuvier’s beaked whales and fin whales.

Cuvier’s beaked whale abundance estimates have been obtained at the U.S. Navy’s Southern California Anti-Submarine Warfare Range (SOAR) for the period from August 2010 through November 2018. Data for December 2018 through January 2019 are currently being processed. The data were corrected for effort and spatial variation by applying correction factors as in DiMarzio et al (2017). Since 2010, the Cuvier’s beaked whale abundance at SOAR appears to be stable or slightly increasing.

In 2016, corrected Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris, Zc) abundance estimates at SOAR were completed for 2010 -2014. The estimates showed no decline in abundance over this 5-year period on the instrumented Southern California Anti-Submarine Warfare Range (SOAR). In 2017, these estimates were updated with data from 2015 through September of 2017 to provide a yearly estimate from 2010 to 2017. Periods of node or in-water hardware outages in past estimates and new data were isolated. Correction factors for these periods were calculated, and revised abundance estimates were produced. As before, the data do not show a decline in abundance on SOAR over the last eight years.

The primary goal of these surveys was sighting, photographing, and collecting biopsy samples from Cuvier’s beaked whales and fin whales. We had six sea turtle sightings and 185 sightings of marine mammals, including 20 sightings of an estimated 56 Cuvier’s beaked whales. We collected 41 biopsy samples, including seven from Cuvier’s beaked whales.

Monitoring, passive acoustic monitoring, marine mammals, beaked whales, abundance, Hawaii Range Complex, Southern California Range Complex, Pacific Missile Range Facility, Southern California Offshore Range, mid-frequency active sonar

s. As part of an ongoing study of the distribution and demographics of several marine mammal species within SOCAL, we conducted 27 days of survey effort from 7 January to 13 November 2016, specifically focusing on the Southern California Anti-submarine Warfare Range (SOAR). The primary goal of the surveys was sighting, photographing, and collecting biopsy samples from Cuvier’s beaked whales and fin whales

For each of the major Navy ranges, the initial goal is to provide a Marine Mammal Monitoring on Navy Ranges (M3R) system that can be run with minimal operator intervention to collect passive acoustic detection archives on a nearly continuous basis. These archive files provide an electronic record of marine mammal acoustic activity and sonar activity, as well as marine mammal localization data from multiple algorithms with a focus on Blainville’s (Mesoplodon densirostris, Md) and Cuvier’s (Ziphius cavirostris, Zc) beaked whales. As algorithms become available and are incorporated into the system, algorithm-specific reports can be seamlessly integrated into the archives to provide a timesynchronous history of events.

Via funding from the Living Marine Resource (LMR) program, ONR and U.S. Pacific Fleet, the Marine Mammal Monitoring on Navy Ranges (M3R) program is developing and implementing the requisite tools and methods to assess the long-term effect of Navy operations on cetaceans in the Southern California (SOCAL) Range Complex, particularly those operations using Mid-Frequency Active (MFA) sonar, with a focus on Cuvier’s beaked whales and fin whales.

This report summarizes data collected during small-vessel surveys for cetaceans in the Southern California Bight (SCB), with a focus on the Southern California Offshore Range Complex (SCORE), from June 2010–January 2014. Detailed annual progress reports were prepared after each survey year through 2013 and are available online through the Naval Postgraduate School. This final report emphasizes analyses that combine data across study years, particularly with respect to two focal species: Cuvier’s beaked (Ziphius cavirostris, Zc) and fin (Balaenoptera physalus, Bp) whales.