Machiel collecting photo-id of pilot whales in Vestfjorden, Norway - Credit: Photo by Charlotte Curé (University of St. Andrews)
OPENING FIELDWORK SEASON 2013
The Fieldwork season 2013 has kicked of with Machiel Oudejans and Fleur Visser both travelling to the Arctic region for another research cruise on cetaceans in the Arctic waters of Norway. They join scientists from St Andrews, FFI, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, TNO and LK-Arts on the 3S2 Behavioural Response Study, leaving from Tromsø for a 4-week cruise to the Lofoten and Jan Mayen Island in June and July. Working in the Arctic circle is a special experience: under the midnight sun, the day become night and night become the day. The 24-hour daylight allows the experiments to continue day and night, confusing our biological clock.
Before heading out to sea on the research vessel, HUS Sverdrup, to work offshore, they will join an international team of the University of St Andrews to study the Long-finned Pilot whale in the Vestfjorden. In collaboration with the 3S Project, Fleur developed a group behaviour sampling protocol for cetaceans, which will be used to collect data on the social behaviour of the pilot whales. The team will work from a basecamp in Ure, Lofoten. Simultaneously, a team of scientists from FFI, TNO and LK-Arts will investigate Minke whale behaviour in the area.
With the combined team effort and experience shared between the two teams, we aim to successfully tag Pilot and Minke whales to collect data on their behaviour, which will provide valuable information aiding in our understanding of the species’ behavioural response to sonar exposure.