New technology is being implemented in B.C. waters with the goal of reducing whale and commercial vessel collisions.
Ocean Wise has announced new underwater microphones will be used to detect whales in B.C. waters.
Once whales are detected, commercial vessels will be alerted of their nearby presence via a Whale Report Alert System.
These alerts will help mariners determine when to slow down, re-route, or stop to avoid whale disturbance and injury.
“In light of the ongoing issue of vessel impacts on whales in B.C. waters, implementing new ways to protect marine mammals is more important than ever,” said Dr. Chloe Robinson, Ocean Wise’s Whales Initiative director.
“This integration solidifies the (alert system) as a critical tool for reducing impact on marine mammals in waters on the Pacific Coast. By supplementing our community science-supplied sightings with hydrophone alerts that detect whale vocalizations in real time, we expect to be able to provide even more alerts to keep whales safe from ship strikes and disturbance.”
Robinson said the alert system is the “first of its kind.”
According to Ocean Wise, the underwater microphones, which are also known as hydrophones, will dramatically improve detection abilities especially in remote areas and when visibility is low.
“With investments through the Government of Canada’s Oceans Protections Plan and Whales Initiative, and thanks to the important work Ocean Wise is doing, we’re getting better every year at reducing threats to endangered whale populations,” Pablo Rodriguez said, MP and Minister of Transport. “I look forward to seeing the results of this pilot project.”
Hydrophones will be based at the Boundary Pass Underwater Listening Station, which was commissioned in 2020 by Transport Canada in partnership with the Port of Vancouver-led Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program.
The listening station is located below a shipping lane at the Port of Vancouver within the designated critical habitat of the endangered southern resident orcas.
Ocean Wise is a global conservation organization on a mission to build communities that take meaningful action to protect and restore our ocean.
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