Aussie boffins track blue whales by song

In a world first, acoustic technology has been used to successfully find, track and study the biggest creature on Earth, the Antarctic blue whale. Vision: www.antarctica.gov.au

• Animals were tagged after picking up on their deep, complex vocals
• Project shows whales don't need to be killed to be studied: Tony Burke
• 23 biopsy samples collected & satellite tags were attached to the whales

AN Australian-led group of scientists has for the first time tracked down and tagged Antarctic blue whales by using acoustic technology to follow its songs.

The blue whale, the largest animal on the planet, is rarely spotted in the Southern Ocean but a group of intrepid researchers were able to find and tag some of the mammals after picking up on their deep and complex vocals.

In a reference to Japan's annual whale hunt in the Antarctic, which is conducted in the name of scientific research, Environment Minister Tony Burke says this non-lethal research clearly shows it's not necessary to kill whales in order to study them.

He said the researchers, who spent seven weeks working from small boats in freezing Antarctic conditions, were captivated by the remarkable behaviour of the whales they saw.

Two of the Antarctic blue whales were fitted with satellite tags.

"The Antarctic blue whale barely escaped extinction during the industrial whaling era in the 1900s when around 340,000 whales were slaughtered," Mr Burke said.

"This research reinforces Australia's commitment to non-lethal research of whales."

The voyage was the inaugural Southern Ocean trip of the Antarctic Blue Whales Project, which aims to estimate the abundance, distribution and behaviour of this iconic species.

The researchers worked from small boats in freezing Antarctic conditions.

The scientists collected 23 biopsy samples and attached satellite tags to two of the whales.

"The tags transmitted never-before obtained data on rapid longitudinal movements during their summer feeding season and their foraging behaviour in relation to the edge of the Antarctic ice," tagger Virginia Andrews-Goff said.

"This method of studying Antarctic blue whales has been so successful it will now become the blueprint for other whale researchers across the world."

They recorded 626 hours of songs, with 26,545 calls of Antarctic blue whale analysed in real time, said lead acoustician Brian Miller.

"The researchers were then able to triangulate the position of the whales from their vocalisations and direct the ship to the target area," he said.

The Antarctic blue whale is the world's largest creature, and can grow more than 30 metres and weigh up to 180 tonnes. Its tongue alone can be heavier than an elephant, its heart as big as a small car.

View the original article here