Finding the first whale near Greenland

A herd of North Atlantic head whales was discovered near Greenland in an area where the animal is thought to be extinct, using an underwater microphone system.

The discovery of at least 3 whales, presented at the meeting of the American Acoustics Association in Portland, Ore., Is particularly important, as this is an area that can be extended for boats if ice in the polar regions continue to melt.

Bullhead whales are hunted for fat and jaws until a global ban on hunting whales is issued in 1937. Scientists estimate that there are only about 350 whales. Bullhead remains on the oceans, according to the New England Aquarium. The whale's mortality rate is mainly due to collisions with boats on the busy eastern US waterways. In the past decade, collisions with boats have been responsible for about 40% of all whales' deaths.

To determine the new whale's example, a group of scientists from Oregon State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who used a hydrophone system could record sound far away. hundreds of miles.

David Mellinger, the project leader, said: 'Technology allows us to identify an undiscovered habitat of the endangered whale and offer that possibility - contrary to the analogies. It is common sense - a remnant whale in the Central and Eastern Atlantic regions still exists. '

Scientists are not sure how many whales are in this area, near the southern tip of Greenland and an important whale gathering area in the 19th century called the Cape Farewell Ground. However, they recorded more than 2000 bull whale sounds in this area from July to December 2007.

"We don't know how many whales are in the area," Mellinger said . They are not really different in sound. But we get sound in 3 different locations on the same day, so the number is at least 3. Even this number is very significant because the total number of head whales is estimated at about 300 to 400 '.

Scientists including Matt Fowler, currently working for Oregon State University and NOAA, use hydrophone in the North Atlantic Ocean to record sounds emitted by whales and other animals. (Photo: Dave Mellinger, Oregon State University)

Only 2 whales have been found at Cape Farewell Ground in the past 50 years. Whales in this area have been hunted to near extinction before protection measures are issued.

Bullhead whales emit different sounds, Mellinger said, and through careful analysis it is possible to distinguish these sounds from other whales . Scientists use the records of the North Atlantic and North Pacific head whales to identify the sound of this animal.

The recorded sound cycle shows that whales move from the southwest of the region in the northeast towards the end of July 2007, then return in September 2009 - this location is where the roads are The sea will be deployed.

Phillip Clapham, head whale expert of NOAA's National Marine Mammal Laboratory, said: 'The prepared sea route to be deployed through the Northwest Corridor will shorten the distance between Europe and East Asia, but may pass through the migration path of any bullhead whale that lives in this area. Therefore, we need to have accurate information about bullhead whales living in this area to avoid collision with boats'.

This is the third time Mellinger's team has used hydrophone to determine the value of the bullhead whale. Previously, they found the first whale in the Gulf of Alaska, where the first whale was only seen once in 26 years.

The study was funded by NOAA's Ocean Research and Discovery Office.