Passive Acoustic Monitoring for Marine Mammal Stock Assessments using Gliders in the Caribbean: Filling a NMFS Operational Gap

Overview

Through an award from the NOAA Uncrewed Systems Research Transition Office, in collaboration with the NOAA NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center Marine Mammal and Turtle Division (NOAA P.I. Dr. Melissa Soldevilla), UVI gliders will be fitted with DMON2 Passive Acoustic Monitoring sensors and deployed on missions in the US Caribbean in 2024 / 2025 to collect data for development of regional marine mammal stock assessment algorithms. The study will include operations concurrent with additional types of ocean gliders to evaluate capability, with the goal of delivering an operational stock assessment plan incorporating uncrewed systems.

Recorded Humpback Song

Study Site and Missions

This is a map of the study area, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, in which we have studied whale sound. Each line represents a path that a glider traveled during its mission, recording sound along the way. These missions occurred between August 2024 and April 2025. These missions traveled a combined total of 180 days, 3480 kilometers, and each glider to depths of up to 900 meters.