Cruises, fishing boats and even whale-watchers are adding to the din underwater, which biologist Heike Vester says not only masks cetaceans’ communication but can also stop them feeding

From the moment that the biologist Dr Heike Vester presses play, the sound of the static of the fjord fills the room. First comes the constant, steady rumbling of a boat engine. Then, every eight seconds, like a foreboding bass drum, comes the explosion of seismic airguns – extremely loud blasts used in oil and gas exploration that can travel vast distances underwater.

And finally, dancing above it all – and at times drowned out by it – are the soaring vocalisations of whales.

Heike Vester at home in Bodø, Norway. Her love of whales comes partly from her interest in matrilineal societies. Photograph: Marthe Mølstre/The Guardian