Distribution and Behavior of the Bowhead Whale , Balaena mysticetus , Based on Analysis of Acoustic Data Collected During the 1993 Spring Migration off Point Barrow , Alaska

A successful acoustic study was conducted off Point Barrow, Alaska in spring 1993 as part of the continuing effort to census the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Sea bowhead whale population. New data collection and analyses methods were developed resulting in close to 1000h of hydrophone array recordings and the completion of 732h of acoustic location analysis within a year after the field season. A comparison of the old and new analyses methods indicates that the new method results in locations with less variability and slightly less bias than the old method. The offshore distribution of acoustically located whales indicates that throughout the 1993 migration period 86% of the vocalizing animals were within 4km of the nearshore ice edge.