China News Service, Beijing, November 12 (Reporter Sun Zifa) Springer Nature's open access academic journal "Science Reports" published a biological research paper saying that the engine noise of whale watching ships seriously interferes with short-limbed pilot whales, etc.
The paper pointed out that past studies have found that the noise produced by whale watching boats affects cetacean behavior, but it is not clear how the noise level of the engine affects cetacean behavior, and the noise level of whale watching boats is currently not regulated
Corresponding author of the paper, Patricia Arranz of the University of La Laguna (also transliterated Laguna) in Spain, in collaboration with scientific colleagues in Denmark and Iceland, used drones to observe short limbs in the waters of Tenerife, Spain Pilot whale mothers and cubs: 13 pairs of mothers and cubs were observed without the presence of a boat, and 23 pairs of mothers and cubs were observed when there was a whale watching boat with a noisy gasoline engine, or a quieter electric The engine-driven whale watching boat, in accordance with the requirements of the Canary Islands whale watching guide, slowly passes 60 meters away
They found that when a petrol-engined ship passed by, the mothers of short-limbed pilot whales spent an average of 29% less time resting and caring for their cubs by 81% less time than when no ships passed by
The authors of the paper believe that these findings indicate that even if the whale watching boat follows existing guidelines, noisier engines will have a greater impact on cetacean behavior
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