Nestled in the Pacific Ocean, it comes as no surprise that the University of Hawaii (UH) has become known for its studies in marine sciences. The university’s main campus is in Mānoa, a suburb of Honolulu, and it is the home of UH’s renowned School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). Not long ago, SOEST was awarded a $92 million grant to aid in the many research programs it oversees. One of the programs that have been benefiting from these funds is the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) directed by Dr. Lars Bejder.

Since the MMRP lab was founded in 1995, it has studied marine mammals and the habitat that supports them, with the ultimate goal of creating conservation models. As stated on the lab’s website, “The mission of MMRP is the conservation of marine mammals. Our pathway to success is through the empirical and applied research that supports science-based management, innovation, collaborations, and knowledge transfer.” The current area of study MMRP is focused on is how climate change and the availability of prey are affecting whale and dolphin populations. In studying both subjects researchers are using drones to gather data like never before.

Though humpback whales have been removed from the endangered species list, sightings of them along their migratory path between Hawiia and Alaska have noticeably declined over the last few years. Researchers wanted to closely monitor the success rate of whales as they migrate, specifically how much food they need to eat to support the breeding season. Dr. Bejder and Ph.D. candidate Martin Van Aswegen tagged 7 humpback whales with special devices called CATs (Customized Animal Tagging solutions). CATs are noninvasive suction cup sensors that are placed on a whale. The devices transmit location and other behavioral information. The devices also have a built in camera that gives the researchers a unique point of view, that of a whale.

Along with the CATs, Dr. Bejder and his team use drones to monitor the whale’s actions as well as gather information such as overall health and size. The research has brought to light some incredible footage that is giving researchers a tremendous understanding of these mammals. One such amazing drone video features the rare sight of a calf moments after it was born. A sight like this is rare as whales will typically find secluded areas to give birth because it puts both the mother and calf in a vulnerable position. In January 2019, Dr. Bejder received a call from a local tour company that they had spotted a lot of commotion in the water followed by blood. Lars and his team quickly sent up a drone and within moments they had spotted a dark grey humpback whale with a small, light grey calf. The calf’s fins and tail flukes still appear soft and flimsy. Afterbirth blood is still being released by the mother as she occasionally supports the calf on her back, bringing it to the surface for a breath before encouraging it to swim on its own.

Another of the rare sightings Dr. Bejder and his team were able to capture with a drone show how a pod of humpback whales work together to hunt. Several marine animals use a hunting technique called bubble netting to corral small fish, making it easier to feed. But the dual footage from the drones and CATs provided Dr. Bejder with groundbreaking data on how whales hunt to build up enough energy and stamina for migration and mating. As Dr. Bejder said, “We have two angles and the drone’s perspective is showing us these bubble nets if you will, and how the bubbles are starting the come to the surface, and how the animals come up through the bubble nets as they surface. While the cameras on the whales are telling us from the animal’s perspective. So overlaying these two data sets is quite exciting.” For the first time, researchers were able to use the footage to create a 3D map of how exactly the bubble nets are formed.

Another of Dr. Bejder’s teams has been using drones to create photogrammetry models of dolphin populations. Flying drones over pods of dolphins, hundreds of images are taken. Each photograph is carefully inspected to identify unique characteristics. These characteristics are then used to create an identification database of the dolphins. Data like the size and health of each dolphin is logged. Videos of how the dolphins interact and feed are used to make predictions as to the strength of the pod. The researchers repeat this process numerous times to assess the population growth of the dolphins.

Since the MMRP has been utilizing drones, Dr. Bejder and his collaborators have gathered data like measurements and feeding habits on hundreds of whales and dolphins. It is a project that is set to go on for quite some time. Fabien Vivier, a Ph.D. student studying under Dr. Bejder said that using drones to study marine mammals gives them an edge like never before. “Seeing them from above, it’s giving you another complete view,” he said. “And it’s really amazing because you can observe behaviors that you wouldn’t imagine if you were sitting on the boat.”