m Acoustic Analysis of Body Condition in the Northern Right Whale

Northern right whales are known to be undergoing chronic reproductive failure, when compared to Southern right whales. Possible contributing Stressors include inbreeding, chemical exposure, infectious disease, man-made noise and inadequate nutrition. We have so far developed evidence of possible increased chemical exposure in feeding northern right whales. The ONR-funded portion of our program focuses on body-fat condition as an index of health. S&T objective: The current ONR funded portion of this long term program tests if body condition as measured by blubber thickness is predictive of reproductive success. To do this, available acoustic technology had to be adapted and improved to measure blubber thickness in live free-ranging right whales. Approach: We have developed, and continue to refine the use of analog-mode ultrasound to measure blubber thickness while a right whale surfaces for air. The acoustic blubber-depth echoes so obtained are normalized for sampling position upon the animal, and for animal size. These data are then compared with known catalogued reproductive history for each animal so measured. S&T completed