Oldest Humpback Whale Song Recordings Discovered in Cape Cod Archives

The files, found on a bygone piece of audio equipment, may provide new insights into how human activity has impacted ocean sounds.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has discovered the oldest known recordings of humpback whale song in their archives, dating back to 1949. The recordings were made by scientists studying sonar technology and were found on old Audograph disks. The discovery could provide valuable insights into how the underwater soundscape has changed over the past 70 years due to human activity like shipping and industrial noise.

Why it matters

This discovery fills an important gap in scientists' knowledge of what the ocean sounded like before regular acoustic data collection. Researchers hope to use these recordings to better understand how human-caused noise pollution has impacted marine mammal behavior and communication over time.

The details

In 1949, a team of scientists studying sonar technology submerged a microphone into the ocean near Bermuda and recorded some unfamiliar sounds, which they later determined were humpback whale songs. The recordings were made on an old Audograph dictation device and stored in the WHOI archives. The disks were rediscovered in 2025 by a new archivist, who recognized the recordings as whale song after playing them for researchers.

  • In 1949, scientists recorded the whale songs near Bermuda.
  • The recordings were rediscovered in the WHOI archives in 2025.

The players

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

A marine research organization located in Woods Hole, Massachusetts that conducts oceanographic research and maintains an extensive archive of historical audio recordings.

Ashley Jester

A WHOI archivist who discovered the old Audograph disks containing the whale song recordings in 2025.

Peter Tyack

An emeritus researcher at WHOI who specializes in bioacoustics and the study of animal sounds in the marine environment.

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What they’re saying

“Scientists are going to listen to these recordings and make discoveries, frankly, that I can't even begin to imagine yet.”

— Ashley Jester, WHOI Archivist

“Being able to go back and understand what the underwater soundscape was like 50, 70 years ago is actually very important to understand the impact of the changes we're making.”

— Peter Tyack, Emeritus Researcher, WHOI

What’s next

WHOI researchers plan to digitize and analyze the other Audograph disks in their collection that may contain additional historical recordings of whale songs and other marine sounds.

The takeaway

This remarkable discovery of the oldest known recordings of humpback whale song provides a rare window into the past, allowing scientists to compare the relative quiet of the mid-20th century ocean to the noisier conditions of today caused by human activities. These recordings could lead to groundbreaking insights about the impact of anthropogenic noise on marine life.