The Roseway Basin on the Scotian Shelf off Cape Sable, Nova Scotia, is a vital marine mammal sanctuary. It is home to species like the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, Fin Whale, and Sei Whale, which depend on this habitat to survive. It is imperative to monitor their populations to mitigate risks such as vessel collisions, fishing gear entanglements, and habitat destruction.
These species need to be well-monitored to support their conservation and ensure that human activity is responsibly managed. Detailed behavioral and migratory data play a significant role in informing policymakers and guiding conservation efforts.
In addition to species-specific benefits, the Roseway Basin offers broader insights into marine ecosystem health. This valuable resource can be sustainably used if further investments are made in scientific monitoring and management. Recently,
Teledyne Marine’s Slocum Autonomous Underwater Gliders fitted with JASCO Applied Sciences OceanObserverTM directional Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) technology were used by researchers from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Defence Research & Development Canada (DRDC).
Slocum Autonomous Underwater Glider equipped with JASCO’s OceanObserverTM directional Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) system.
With advanced technologies like passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), scientists can detect and locate marine mammals in this vulnerable environment in near-real-time. This innovative approach has enabled researchers to track marine mammals in near-real-time, even in acoustically complex environments like the Roseway Basin.
Detecting, locating, and tracking marine mammals in acoustically complex surroundings
D
etecting, locating, and tracking marine mammals in real-time within the Roseway Basin presented significant challenges. This is an acoustically complex region, and noise (both natural and human) from the surrounding area may drown out marine mammal calls. Variations in underwater sound velocity, such as temperature, salinity, and depth, also distort sound acoustics. Marine mammals produce complex, multilayered vocalizations requiring extremely sensitive and accurate sensors.
Adverse weather conditions, acoustic complexity, and the wildlife of the Roseway Basin tested the gliders’ resilience and capabilities. Such limitations aside, near-real-time detection and localization, will advance the tracking and conservation of marine mammals in vulnerable places such as the Roseway Basin.
Detecting and localizing marine mammals in near-real time
The solution to these challenges was to send three
Teledyne Marine Slocum gliders to the Roseway Basin, two from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and one from JASCO Applied Sciences. Each glider was equipped with JASCO’s OceanObserverTM PAM system for near-real-time directional detections. The mission started with a four-day controlled trial to measure how well they could detect and localize marine mammals in support of DRDC’s research. Following this initial mission, the gliders were sent on a more extended mission to study and follow marine mammals across the Basin. The extended marine mammal monitoring mission was conducted under DFO Science’s Whale Acoustic Slocum Program (WASP).
Heat map and cross fixes showing the real-time estimated position of the sound source. Actual position is indicated by the black circle.
Researchers found the gliders picked up multiple species - Fin, Sei, Blue, and North Atlantic Right Whales - and reported near-real-time informa-tion on their location. OceanObserverTM provided directional detections which enabled localizations and confirmed that acoustic monitoring can be conducted with the
Slocum glider in dynamic oceanic conditions.
A glider mission detects Sei Whales and Fin Whales.
Images for this case study are provided by JASCO, Blue Ocean Marine Tech Systems, and DFO.
Scalable, cost-effective solution for detecting and tracking marine mammals
The collaboration between Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Defence Research & Development Canada, and JASCO Applied Sciences is a testament to the power of innovation in marine conservation. The DFO, DRDC & JASCO project was successfully enabled by
Teledyne Marine’s Slocum glider. Deploying Teledyne Marine’s Slocum gliders equipped with the OceanObserverTM system in the Roseway Basin demonstrated a scalable, cost-effective solution for detecting and tracking marine mammals in near-real-time. This capability is essential for conservation efforts, enabling proactive measures such as rerouting ships or restricting fishing in protected areas. This project sets a new standard using cutting-edge technology to save threatened species and maintain essential ecosystems.
You can also watch our webinar on JASCO's OceanObserver payload applied in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, searching for North Atlantic Right Whales >
