mysterious lives of whales.

And Bermuda could play a major part in the efforts to unravel the secrets of the world's largest beasts according to expert Dr. Steve Katona.

The US Navy is tuning its sonar equipment to study whale-song to see if they can identify various aspects which could unravel some of the mysteries about the giant mammals.

Dr. Katona spoke on the subject at a lecture at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, before going on a Whale Watch on Good Friday.

He is a Professor of Biology at the College of the Atlantic in Maine, and holds a number of important positions on bodies studying whales and dolphins in the United States.

In an interview with The Royal Gazette , Dr. Katona said: "At present the use of Navy sonar equipment is at an early stage. They are having to change the system from searching the Atlantic for Russian submarines to picking up whale-song.

"The Navy are pleased to be involved in this because they do not just appear to carrying out operations which are involved in offence or defence.

"First of all they are trying to see if they can work out what the noises made by whales mean but they are hoping that it will be a major breakthrough in the study of whales.

"So far we have been very excited with the results of the tests, and it led to discovery of a new species of whale off Peru. We are hoping it will be an important new aspect to research because the oceans are full of whale-song.'' He said that Bermuda previously had three listening stations during the Cold War and said it is possible they are involved in the study.

At present, study techniques include photography and genetic tagging but these have not been able offer a comprehensive picture of the lifestyles of whales.

Dr. Katona admits the feeding habits of whales is something of a mystery. The fact that they may go deep down into the oceans to feed makes research difficult, although some work is being carried out using hi-tech robot submarines recently seen in Bermuda.

Dr. Katona is a regular visitor to the Island because it is an important link in the network of study areas following the migration habits of whales. Other countries include the United States, Canada and Caribbean countries.

He said: "It is useful to come to Bermuda so that we can see where whales go after they pass by Bermuda. At the moment we have no evidence that whales are breeding near to the Island.'' Recent sightings of whales off the Island are not a sign that whales have set up a permanent home here, according to Dr. Katona. He says the whales would have to be identified as the same individuals over a number of sightings.

But he pointed out that research is proving that the population of humpback whales has definitely increased in recent years.

He said: "It is expanding its territory and young ones have been seen off Virginia and North Carolina.'' Allaying fears about Norway's insistence on a return to limited whale hunting, Dr. Katona said that they would only be hunting Minke whales which are quite common.

He believes that no country would hunt an endangered species of whale but he would like to see a phasing out of whaling in the future.

Dr. Katona says he also enjoys coming to Bermuda to give his regular lecture to the public helping to educate them about whales.

He said: "There is a lot of interest in the subject and I find that people do like to keep abreast of what is going on in the ocean near Bermuda, as well as further afield.''