Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, PO Box 1106, Kailua 96374, Hawaii, USA.
J Acoust Soc Am. 2011 May;129(5):3353-60. doi: 10.1121/1.3575555.
Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the tropical North Pacific are elusive and difficult to detect visually. The recent association of a unique sound called the "boing" to North Pacific minke whales has made it possible to use passive acoustics to investigate the occurrence of this species in Hawaiian waters. One year of recordings (17 February 2007-18 February 2008) made at the Station ALOHA Cabled Observatory were examined to investigate the characteristics of boings and temporal patterns in their occurrence at this site, located 100 km north of Oahu. Characteristics of boings exhibited low variability. Pulse repetition rate and duration measurements matched those for "central" or "Hawaii" boing types. Boings were detected from October until May, with a peak in March. Although no boings were detected from June to September, the absence of boings does not necessarily indicate the absence of minke whales. Significant diel variation in boing rate was not observed. The absence of a diel pattern in boing production suggests that day- or night-time acoustic surveys are equally acceptable methods for studying minke whale occurrence. Future research should include efforts to determine what other sounds are produced by minke whales in this area, and which age/sex classes produce boings.
北太平洋热带水域的小须鲸（Balaenoptera acutorostrata）难以捉摸，难以目视发现。最近发现了一种独特的声音，称为“砰砰声”，与北太平洋小须鲸有关，这使得使用被动声学技术来调查这种物种在夏威夷水域的出现成为可能。在 Station ALOHA Cabled Observatory 进行了为期一年的录音（2007 年 2 月 17 日至 2008 年 2 月 18 日），以调查在该地点（瓦胡岛以北 100 公里处）出现的砰砰声的特征及其发生的时间模式。砰砰声的特征显示出低可变性。脉冲重复率和持续时间的测量结果与“中央”或“夏威夷”砰砰类型相匹配。从 10 月到 5 月都可以检测到砰砰声，3 月达到峰值。尽管 6 月至 9 月没有检测到砰砰声，但没有砰砰声并不一定表示没有小须鲸。没有观察到砰砰声率的明显日变化。砰砰声产生没有日变化模式表明，白天或夜间声学调查都是研究小须鲸出现的同样可接受的方法。未来的研究应包括努力确定该地区的小须鲸还会产生哪些其他声音，以及哪些年龄/性别类群会产生砰砰声。
