Overview
- Published February 4, 2026 in PLOS One, the study used two time‑synchronized High‑Frequency Acoustic Recording Packages off Louisiana to reconstruct whales’ movements from echolocation clicks.
- Researchers produced the first detailed description of the deep‑diving behavior of a Gervais’ beaked whale anywhere.
- Goose‑beaked whales averaged dives near 3,225 feet (983 m) and at times foraged roughly 100–110 meters above the ~3,600‑foot seafloor, indicating near‑bottom hunting.
- Across roughly 200 days of monitoring in 2021–2022, the team analyzed high‑quality tracks from three species: 24 goose‑beaked, 24 Gervais’, and 2 Blainville’s beaked whales.
- The non‑invasive, scalable method is presented as a tool for management in the industrialized Gulf of Mexico, where prior studies suggest beaked whales may have declined sharply after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill; the work is part of NOAA’s LISTEN project with RESTORE and trustee funding.