Influence of vessel noises on underwater vocal activity of harp seals

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Abstract
Recordings of harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) underwater vocalizations were obtained on whelping patches in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. The seals vocalized throughout the day and night. A marked decrease in seal vocalizations occurred following the arrival of a vessel. The relatively loud motor noises of the vessel completely masked the seal calls (within a 2-km or more radius) except during the night when the vessel's motors were shut down. The decreased seal vocalizations may reflect a change in the seal's behaviour and (or) movement of some seals away from the area of the vessel.

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