Temporal Variability of Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis) Acoustic Detections in Southern New England Waters Marine Mammal Science

Sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) are a large and endangered baleen whale species (Horwood 2009). They have a highly variable diet that can consist of copepods, euphausiids, crustaceans, and fish, with different prey preferences depending on the region (Horwood 2009; Mizroch et al. 1984; Prieto et al. 2012). Sei whales have a global distribution in temperate and subpolar waters, including along the United States (U.S.) Northeast coast (Prieto et al. 2012). Separate populations have been identified in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Hemisphere (Pérez-Álvarez et al. 2021).