48: Underwater Bioacoustics with Dr. Michelle Fournet (S6)

Episode 2 of Series 6: The Animal Protagonist 

This episode is about the world from a the perspective of marine animals. Particularly how their acoustic environment effects their perceptions, health, and ability to find food and mates. we will be talking about who is talking in the world below the waves and what they are saying. Also; air Guns, mass strandings, climate change effects, Humpback Whales, Bearded Seals, Southern Resident Orcas, electric boat motors and ways to keep things quiet. 

Guest: Dr. Fournet's research interests are in animal communication, the impact of anthropogenic noise on animal behavior, and how interspecies interactions manifest acoustically. She works primarily in the marine realm, but is generally interested in using acoustics to investigate questions of applied ecological significance and to disseminate science to the greater public.

For her graduate work she investigated humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) acoustic ecology and the impact of vessel noise on humpback whale calling behavior in Southeast Alaska.

As a postdoctoral researcher at the Cornell Lab’s  K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics (CCB), she is using acoustics to understand community dynamics in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park, with an emphasis on sonic fishes.

Former projects include humpback whale and killer whale photo-identification and citizen-science program development in Juneau, Alaska, the coordination and development of a marine mammal observation effort in Oregon’s near-shore ocean, and the analysis long-term acoustic data sets from Alaska’s Beaufort Sea, where she investigated seasonal presence of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) and arctic seals.

Book Recommendation: Whale by Joe Roman

https://www.birds.cornell.edu/ccb/michelle-fournet/

https://soundsciencecollective.org/

Host: Marika completed her MA in Anthrozoology at the University of Exeter, UK in 2016 and upon moving back to the Seattle area of Washington state she joined the board of Homeward Pet Adoption Center. She also holds a University degree in Zoology (UW) and a CPDT-KA from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.

Now, host of The Deal with Animals, she enjoys chatting with people who know a lot more than she does about the various research disciplines of Anthrozoology as well as authors, nonprofits, professionals, and enthusiasts!

Credits: The Deal With Animals is hosted by Marika. Music was composed by Kai Strandskov. Editing for this episode by Marika Bel