I'm certainly not a cetacean noise expert, so I can't talk about the specifics, but in general I think you'd find that most scientists would agree that it makes sense for there to be a field and laboratory component to research. Depending on the specific question, you might need both, or one might be better. It would really depend on the specific question being posed.
I don't know if my colleagues, who are practising scientists right now, have anything they want to add to that.