Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales in the northern Gulf of Alaska

Original provider: Hannah Myers Dataset credits: Hannah Myers, University of Alaska Fairbanks Abstract: Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are top predators throughout the world’s oceans. In the North Pacific, the species is divided into three ecotypes—resident (fish-eating), transient (mammal-eating), and offshore (largely shark-eating)—that are genetically and acoustically distinct and have unique roles in the marine ecosystem. We deployed hydrophones in the northern Gulf of Alaska to examine the year-round distribution of killer whales from 2016 to 2020 using passive acoustic monitoring. Highest year-round acoustic presence occurred in Montague Strait, with strong seasonal patterns in Hinchinbrook Entrance and Resurrection Bay. Passive acoustic monitoring revealed that both resident and transient killer whales used these areas much more extensively than previously known and provided novel insights into high use locations and times for each population. These results may be driven by seasonal foraging opportunities and social factors, and have management implications for this species.

Citation: Myers, H. 2021. Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Version 1.0.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP. https://doi.org/10.82144/fc36f318.

Published: October 08, 2025 at 13:17

URL: http://ipt.env.duke.edu/resource?r=zd_2158