Stanley, JenniBassett, Oliver2025-01-302025-01-302024https://hdl.handle.net/10289/17142Vessel use associated with recreation and tourism is currently increasing without limits in Dusky Sound. Passive acoustic monitoring was used to investigate spatiotemporal presence and potential cooccurrence of vessels with the endangered resident subpopulation of Fiordland bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and migratory humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) within Tamatea/Dusky Sound, Fiordland Marine Area (FMA). Hydrophones were deployed between February 2022 and November 2023 at three recording sites to collect soundscape data within Dusky Sound. The internal coastline of Five Fingers Peninsula, inside Taumoana Marine Reserve, was identified as a previously unrecognised area of significant usage for Fiordland bottlenose dolphins. Detected humpback whale presence coincided with peaks in migration, and though identified by previous visual surveying efforts, the extent of their presence in the area during their northward migration was previously unreported. Humpback whale presence was significantly higher in June compared with other months, which is consistent with their described increased vocalisation behaviour during the northward migration. Vessel presence detected by passive acoustic monitoring was primarily dictated by usage patterns of tourism and recreational vessels and was greatest in the channel south of Anchor Island, a highly utilised access into Dusky Sound from the outer coast. Monthly equivalent continuous sound levels (LEqs), produced using Automatic Identification System vessel records and sound propagation modelling, illustrated that sound exposure levels regularly reached ~150 dB re 1 µPa2.s within the study area. Cruise ship transits were the major contributor to these high levels, with noise levels exceeding the recommended behavioural exposure threshold for continuous sound in much of the area during the late spring and summer months. Proactive management strategies including vessel limits, speed restrictions (slowdowns) and exclusion zones (dolphin protection zones) are likely required in the future to protect these species before the potential impacts from increased tourism is seen in Tamatea/Dusky Sound.enAll items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.marine acousticsvessel noisepassive acoustic monitoringnoise propagationdusky soundcetaceansbottlenose dolphinshumpback whalesfiordland marine areatamateaendangeredoccurencefiordlandThesis