Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales have lost approximately two thirds of their communication “space” in a marine sanctuary at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay in the United States.
A study published this month in Conservation Biology reveals that the cumulative noise from shipping traffic in the region has created an “acoustic smog” that makes it difficult for whales to hear one another.
The study has implications for future management plans focusing on human activities that adversely affect marine species.
Read more at Cornell University