Data from: Simulated seal scarer sounds scare porpoises, but not seals: species-specific responses to 12 kHz deterrence sounds

Acoustic harassment devices (AHD) or ‘seal scarers’ are used extensively, not only to deter seals from fisheries, but also as mitigation tools to deter marine mammals from potentially harmful sound sources, such as offshore pile driving. To test the effectiveness of AHDs, we conducted two studies with similar experimental set-ups on two key species: harbour porpoises and harbour seals. We exposed animals to 500 ms tone bursts at 12 kHz simulating that of an AHD (Lofitech), but with reduced output levels (source peak-to-peak level of 165 dB re 1 µPa). Animals were localized with a theodolite before, during and after sound exposures. In total, 12 sound exposures were conducted to porpoises and 13 exposures to seals. Porpoises were found to exhibit avoidance reactions out to ranges of 525 m from the sound source. Contrary to this, seal observations increased during sound exposure within 100 m of the loudspeaker. We thereby demonstrate that porpoises and seals respond very differently to AHD sounds. This has important implications for application of AHDs in multi-species habitats, as sound levels required to deter less sensitive species (seals) can lead to excessive and unwanted large deterrence ranges on more sensitive species (porpoises).声干扰设备（Acoustic Harassment Devices，AHD），又称"驱海豹器"，应用场景极为广泛：不仅可用于驱赶渔场中的海豹，还可作为缓解工具，阻止海洋哺乳动物暴露于潜在有害声源（例如海上打桩作业产生的噪声）之中。为验证AHD的使用效果，我们针对两种重点物种——港湾鼠海豚与斑海豹，开展了两项实验设置高度相近的研究。我们将受试动物暴露于模拟Lofitech品牌AHD的12kHz、500毫秒音调猝发信号中，但信号输出电平有所降低（声源峰峰值为165 dB re 1 µPa）。在噪声暴露前、暴露期间及暴露结束后，我们均通过经纬仪对受试动物进行精准定位。总计针对港湾鼠海豚开展了12次噪声暴露实验，针对斑海豹开展了13次。实验结果显示，港湾鼠海豚会在距声源525米的范围内产生躲避反应。与此形成鲜明对比的是，在扬声器100米范围内，噪声暴露期间观测到的斑海豹数量反而有所增加。由此可见，港湾鼠海豚与斑海豹对AHD噪声的响应模式存在显著差异。这一结论对AHD在多物种栖息环境中的应用具有重要指导价值：若采用足以驱赶敏感性较低的斑海豹的噪声电平，可能会对敏感性更高的港湾鼠海豚造成过大且非必要的驱离范围。