It’s hard to hear your friends when you’re in a crowded room! And right now, many places in the ocean are becoming like that crowded room, as noise pollution – like sounds from ships – makes the ocean environment much louder than it used to be.

That’s a major concern, since many marine animals, like humpback whales, depend on sound for everything from communicating with their mates and offspring to finding food. 

Dr. David Wiley, research coordinator at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, has been studying the impacts of ship noise on foraging humpback whales. A recent study he collaborated on is among the first to show that humpback whale foraging behavior is significantly altered from exposure to ship noise. As the intensity of ship noise increases – from increased shipping, for example – humpback whales decrease the number of bottom-feeding events per dive, perhaps because ship noise interferes with the sounds they produce to coordinate their bottom-feeding behavior. 

(Photo: Laura Howes)