Using drones to study killer whale health
Every summer our Cetacean Scientists use innovative drone technology to study whales.
Our photogrammetry research project, ongoing for over fifteen years, involves taking bird’s eye photos of known whales, which are later examined to evaluate their body condition and reproductive health, including the detection of pregnancies.
As the drone takes off from Achiever’s observation platform, both drone-operators wear safety gear. The pilot controls the drone, while the camera operator holds it using custom handles designed for takeoff and landing. Being on a moving vessel makes taking off and landing more challenging than on stable ground.
Once the drone is in the air, it is operated by two people – one controlling the movements of the drone, and the other operating the drone’s camera. Coordination is key between the two. Aligning the drone, the camera, and the whale beneath is no easy task.
Both operators have their own controller. One keeps their eyes on the drone and the whales, while the other monitors the camera feed. They remain in constant communication about the whales’ positions and whether the whales were photographed at just the right moment.
Only certain images can be used for scientific purposes. The angle between the whales’ white “eye patches“ on the sides of its head and neck is an important measure of its body condition (fatness). To measure it accurately the eye patches must be above the surface and not obscured by the whale’s blow.
The goal is to compare eye patch angles from one year to the next in as many individual whales as possible, to assess changes in body condition over time. These changes provide an important measure of whether the whales are having improved or reduced success in finding prey.
In addition to capturing eye-patch images for science, documenting interesting behaviour is also an important aspect of the project. Below, you can see a young killer whale playing with a piece of bull kelp. The image to the right shows resident (fish-eating) killer whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins interacting.
We also take aerial photographs of humpback whales, to contribute to a study that uses characteristic scars that result when the whales are entangled in fishing gear to assess the rate at which this occurs (without killing the whales) off the coast of British Columbia.
While the drone is up in the air, a designated person takes lateral dorsal fin photos of the whales being photographed by the drone. These photos are used to identify individual whales.
Whales are individually identified by using killer whale identification catalogues prepared by colleagues and FIsheries and Oceans Canada.1
It is important to note that this research is conducted under a Species at Risk Act (SARA) research permit (MML-18). It is illegal to fly drones over whales without a permit. Our permit also allows us to approach the whales more closely than other boaters if we need to—but under most conditions we can safely operate the drone over the whales and take identification photos while our boat remains well away from them.
When whales aren’t in view, the crew is up on the research platform, scanning the area for whales. Periodically, the engine is turned off and a hydrophone (underwater microphone) is submerged to acoustically detect nearby whales.
The range at which a hydrophone can detect whales is highly variable and depends on factors such as weather conditions, depth of the hydrophone, vessel noise levels, and more. Under the right conditions, and of course provided that the whales are vocalizing, the hydrophone can detect whales at a greater distance than what is possible by sight.
