There
are immediate reasons
to study the vocal patterns of cetaceans: these marine mammals
are threatened by
human activities through competition for fishery resources, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with vessels, exposure
to pollutants and oil spills and, ultimately, shrinking habitats
due to anthropogenic climate change.
On top of this apparent expansion, there
was genuine growth in the problem
due to such factors as pollution and accidental species dispersal
through human activities.