Dear MarMam Subscribers,
The following recently published article is
available....
Smultea,
M.A., J.R. Mobley, Jr., D. Fertl, and G.L. Fulling. 2008. An unusual reaction
and other observations of sperm whales near fixed-wing aircraft. Gulf and
Caribbean Research 20:75-80.
The specific objectives of the
paper are to report our visual observations of sperm whale reactions to
straight-line aircraft fly-bys (i.e., passes), to report a unique observation of
a recognized "stress behavioral reaction" exhibited by sperm whales during an
overhead circling by a small
fixed-wing aircraft, and to provide a summary review of published related
studies. The observations detailed were made off Hawaii, but with application to
conservation/management concerns in the Gulf of Mexico.
Please
direct pdf or other related inquiries to me (Mari Smultea,
senior author) at: msmultea@msn.com
With regards,
Mari A. Smultea, M.Sc.