In a scientific first, researchers have used a fleet of underwater drones to locate and localize marine mammals off the Canadian East Coast.
The latest development is the work of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and JASCO Applied Sciences (JASCO).
The team used Slocum autonomous underwater gliders in the waters Roseway Basin on the Scotian Shelf. There, the gliders used directional sound detection to find and accurately locate marine mammals underwater through their vocalizations.
The experiment used two gliders and was conducted over a four-day period. Mammals identified include Fin, Sei, Blue and North Atlantic Right Whales.
The work highlights the dual use nature of the Slocum gliders, which can be now be used to locate mammals as well as submarines.
