Spatial distribution of gray whales in the Piltun feeding area taking into account acoustic monitoring data

DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2024-1-30-66-79

View or download the article (Rus)

About the Authors

Evgeny A. Kriksunov

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology,
1-12, Kolmogorova str., Moscow, 119991, Russia,
E-mail: kriksunov@mail.ru

Sergey V. Chistov

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Geography,
1, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia,
E-mail: svchistov@mail.ru

Ali R. Alyautdinov

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Geography,
1, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia,
E-mail: alik@geogr.msu.ru

Alexander E. Bobyrev

Institute of Ecology and Evolution A.N. Severtsov,
33, Leninsky ave., Moscow, 119071, Russia,
E-mail: abobyrev@mail.ru

Dmitry G. Kovzel

V.I. Il’ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute,
43, Baltiyskaya str., Vladivostok, Primorsky Kray, 690041, Russia,
E-mail: mfershalov@poi.dvo.ru

Vladimir A. Gritsenko

V.I. Il’ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute,
43, Baltiyskaya str., Vladivostok, Primorsky Kray, 690041, Russia,
E-mail: mfershalov@poi.dvo.ru

Mikhail Yu. Fershalov

V.I. Il’ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute,
43, Baltiyskaya str., Vladivostok, Primorsky Kray, 690041, Russia,
E-mail: mfershalov@poi.dvo.ru

Abstract

Systematic studies of the western (Okhotsk-Korean) population of the Gray Whale, listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, have been carried out since 1997. Since the early 2000s, these studies have been of a monitoring nature and are carried out by a group of oil producing companies active on the Sakhalin shelf. To date, a large amount of information has been accumulated relating to various aspects of the life of the gray whale. Estimates of the population size of the gray whale were obtained, its size and sex composition was studied, as well as the feeding and migratory behavior of these animals off the coast of Sakhalin. Previously, we analyzed monitoring materials relating to 2001–2012. The work done was aimed at assessing the spatial contingency in the dynamics of the distribution of gray whales and their food items. A GIS project was created, with the help of which approaches to assessing the spatial correspondence of elements of the whales-benthos system were tested and implemented. The analysis showed that the most attractive for whales are vast fields lying at shallow depths with a high, relatively evenly distributed amphipod biomass. The whale feeding area is adjacent to areas where oil production platforms and elements of the hydrocarbon transport system are installed. The activities of engineering systems can have a negative impact on animals, disorient them, scare them away, disrupt communications and even lead to physical damage. Continuous acoustic monitoring data was included in a previously created GIS to assess the impact of industrial noise on whale behavior. The results obtained do not allow us to consider acoustic impact as a significant factor influencing the spatial distribution of the feeding gray whale population in the Piltun area.

Keywords

gray whale, acoustic monitoring, shelf of the northeast of Sakhalin Island, spatial connections, geoprocessing cartography

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For citation: Kriksunov E.A., Chistov S.V., Alyautdinov A.R., Bobyrev A.E., Kovzel D.G., Gritsenko V.A., Fershalov M.Yu. Spatial distribution of gray whales in the Piltun feeding area taking into account acoustic monitoring data. InterCarto. InterGIS. Moscow: MSU, Faculty of Geography, 2024. V. 30. Part 1. P. 66–79. DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2024-1-30-66-79 (in Russian)