Sei whales use New York Bight as spring habitat
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- Sei whales were detected vocalizing primarily between March and May, with 95% of recorded calls occurring in that window, indicating a narrow seasonal presence in the New York Bight.
- New York Bight shows a strong diel pattern, with sei whales vocalizing more often during daylight hours, suggesting daytime feeding and reduced nighttime calling.
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution deployed acoustic monitoring technology from 2017‑2020 that captured the whales’ presence, providing near‑real‑time detection similar to systems used for North Atlantic right whales.
- Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Bight Program led the study, publishing findings in Scientific Reports and emphasizing the region’s role as a possible migratory corridor and feeding area for the endangered species.
- Maria Papadopoulos, lead author and Columbia graduate researcher, noted that the peak vocal activity aligns with water temperatures of 41‑48 °F, linking the whales’ presence to prey availability.
- Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, co‑author and executive director of the WCS New York Bight Program, highlighted that the acoustic baseline can inform policies to mitigate human‑generated noise in the busiest U.S. port complex.
Why it matters: Port authorities and conservation regulators gain concrete timing data to limit noisy activities during the whales’ peak vocal hours, while sei whales stand to benefit from reduced acoustic disturbance in a heavily trafficked corridor. The study supplies a scientific basis for tighter protection measures in the nation’s busiest seaport region.
