And another study showed a strong avoidance reaction to noise from ships and icebreakers when the whales were in shallow water or near an ice shelf. Whales in the mysticete suborder, which includes gray, humpback, blue, fin, right, and bowhead whales, show consistent disturbance reactions to noise. They often flee from ships and boats, particularly from fast-moving vessels. When they hear high frequency sonar they also try to escape. And most gray and bowhead whales swim away from ships conducting sonic oil explorations.
Some researchers find the existing data unsatisfying.
In most cases the studies don't include control groups or large sample sizes. When marine animals first hear a loud, unusual sound, they usually swim away from it. But eventually, an animal could become accustomed to the noise. This seems to happen with fin whales, says Watkins. The whales in the heavily-trafficked harbor may have learned to ignore ship noises, in a phenomenon known as habituation.