Right Whale Acoustics: Practical Applications in Conservation

Effective management to reduce human impacts on the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale requires improved surveillance data to maximize the protection given to the whales while minimizing the costs to the shipping and fishing industries. A workshop was held in March 2001 to discuss the potential of passive acoustics to contribute to right whale surveillance and the research and development required to develop suitable systems. This paper summarizes the conclusions of the workshop. Progress on addressing research needs following the workshop is also described