Archive for February, 2009

Spring 2009 program approaching

With about 6 weeks before the spring program begins we have created a home page for the spring 2009 class (091) that includes links to their photo gallery and blog entries. Keep an eye on it to learn more about the incoming students and track their progress.

A most exciting and unique aspect of the spring program is that we have all been invited to participate in the Southern Resident Killer Whale Transboundary Naturalist Workshop (March 30-31 in Port Townsend, WA). It’s looking like quite the tour of the current state of SRKW policy and science, with about 25 20-minute talks from many of the most active managers, enforcement agents, and researchers! See tentative speakers/topics list (PDF) and latest draft agenda below:

Suggested Schedules for SRKW Transboundary Naturalist Workshop
Draft  2/10/09

Monday March 30, 2009

Start     End    Task    Time
9:00    10:00    Coffee/ Pastries    1 hour
10:00    10:15    Welcome Remarks    15 min

Management/Enforcement/Human Dimensions Panel
Management
1        10:15    10:30    Lynne Barre – NMFS/NWR    15 min
2        10:30    10:45    Paul Cottrell – DFO    15 min
Human Dimensions
3        10:45    11:05    Suzanne Russell – NMFS    20 min
11:05    11:15    Questions for above    10 min
Enforcement Panel
4        11:15    12:00    Alan Wolf – NOAA LE    45 min
5                Larry Paike – DFO
6                Russ Mullins – WDFW

12:00    1:00    LUNCH    1 Hour

Outreach/Population
7/8        1:15    1:55    Kari Koski-Soundwatch & Nic-Straitwatch    40 min

9        1:55    2:25    Ken Balcomb    30 min
2:25    2:40    Questions    15 min

2:40    3:00    AFTERNOON BREAK    20 min

Vessel Interactions/Sound
10        3:00    3:20    Marla Holt    20 min
11        3:20    3:40    Deborah Giles    20 min
12        3:40    4:00    Dawn Noren    20 min
13        4:00    4:20    Rob Williams    20 min
4:20    4:30    Questions    10 min

4:30    5:00    Keys/Room Check-In    30 min
5:00    6:30    COCKTAIL at Port Townsend Marine Science Center    1 hour 30 min
6:30    8:00    Dinner    1 hour 30 min
8:00    10:00    Salish Sea Member Meeting    2 hour

Tuesday March 31, 2009

Start     End    Task    Time
7:00    8:20    BREAKFAST    1 hour 20 min
8:20    8:30    Gather/Organize    10 min

Prey Relationships
14        8:30    8:50    John Ford    20 min
15        8:50    9:10    Brad Hanson    20 min
16        9:10    9:30    Eric Ward    20 min
9:30    9:50    Questions    20 min

9:50    10:10    MORNING BREAK    20 min

Contaminants
17        10:10    10:30    Sandie O’Neill    20 min
18        10:30    10:50    Peggy Krahn    20 min
19        10:50    11:10    Teresa Mongillo    20 min
16        11:10    11:30    Questions    20 min

Health
20        11:30    11:50    Steve Raverty    20 min
21        11:50    12:10    Pete Schroeder    20 min
12:10    12:20    Questions    10 min

12:20    1:20    LUNCH    1 hour

Health Continued
22        1:20    1:40    Katherine Ayers    20 min
23        1:40    2:00    John Durban    20 min
2:00    2:10    Questions    10 min

Habitat Use
24        2:10    2:30    Brad Hanson/Robin Baird    20 min

2:30    2:50    AFTERNOON BREAK    20 min

25        2:50    3:10    Candice Emmons    20 min
26        3:10    3:30    Val or Scott Veirs, Jason Wood    20 min
3:30    3:50    Questions    20 min

3:50    4:00    CONCLUDING REMARKS    10 min

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Testing the Thrustor for noise mitigation potential

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Yesterday Marla Holt and I teamed up to measure the source levels (broadband and spectrum) of a new device called the Thrustor. Essentially a cowling that houses the propeller, the Thrustor is known to increase the efficiency and “bollard-pull” power of an outboard or stern-drive engine propulsion system. The Thrustor was co-patented by Terry Smith in 2005 and is manufactured by Marine Propulsion Technologies.

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Terry drove his test boat up from California, his brother Chris flew out from Colorado to lend a hand, and Leif Bentzen provided and captained a boat from which to deploy the hydrophones. Marla and the Northwest Fisheries Science Center donated her expertise, her calibrated Resond hydrophone system, laser range finder, and hand-held GPS. I brought along the Beam Reach calibrated Inter-Oceans system and some buoys to mark the 100m and 400m ranges from the hydrophones. And thankfully, the weather really cooperated — while we expected drizzle and wind, we got clear skies and placid waters.

Despite substantial background noise from the Edmonds-Kingston ferry and passing freight trains, we gathered a bunch of data using dual-hydrophones that have a flat frequency response from 1-40kHz and are capable of recording up to frequencies up to 96kHz. First we tested Terry’s boat (powered by a Honda 80hp outboard) without the Thrustor, then with it. We made passes at 7-30 knots at ranges of 400, 100, and ~50m. We also measured the noise generated when accelerating from an idle to cruising speed.

Stay tuned for some preliminary acoustic results… For now, here are some photos from the day.

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Jason Wood uses sound to save species

Whales and Elephants talk flyerLead Instructor Jason Wood (also Research Curator at The Whale Museum) is a guest speaker at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center this month (Sat 2/21/09, 4pm, Fort Worden Building 204, $5 non-members).   This should be a great talk that combines Jason’s 15+ years of experience in Africa with his more recent immersion in killer whale acoustics with Beam Reach and The Whale Museum.

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