WhaleAlert

Whale Alert

Reducing lethal whale ship-strikes worldwide.

Whale Alert is a growing network of non-profit institutions, government agencies, shipping and technology companies focused on reducing lethal ship strikes of whales.

You can help too!
Ship strikes a leading cause of Whale mortality.

Large whales are vulnerable to collisions with all vessel types, sizes, and classes throughout the world's oceans. In California, ship strikes of gray whales are the most commonly reported followed by fin, blue, humpback, and sperm whales. When large vessels such as container ships are involved, the ships crew may be unaware a strike has occurred. As such, the number of ship strikes to whales is likely under reported.

Blue Whales

MORTALITY FROM SHIP STRIKES HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A THREAT TO POPULATION RECOVERY OF VULNERABLE WHALE SPECIES.

Traffic

THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 100 DOCUMENTED LARGE WHALE STRANDINGS BETWEEN 1992 AND 2012.

Right Whales

THERE ARE ONLY 500 NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES LEFT IN THE WORLD - SHIP STRIKES ARE THE #1 MORTALITY FACTOR.
History

The rules and regulations designed to protect right whales are a result of more than 20 years of effort by scientists, government and conservation groups to gather and analyze data on the intersection of whale “zones” and shipping vessel traffic. These risk profiles then resulted in management actions to reduce strike risk and (ideally) allow whales and ships to share the same waters.

Whale Alert 1.0

WhaleAlert was first launched in April of 2012 as a free app for iPads and iPhones to display speed zone regulations and whale management areas on the U.S. Atlantic Coast. The target audience was the shipping industry and the app focused on easing compliance with existing regulations by displaying these measures on easy-to-read nautical charts with pop-up alerts to serve as reminders when vessels enter regulated areas. The mix of real-time (or near real-time) data projected over the internet to smart phones and tablets made compliance measures much easier to understand and act upon.

Whale Alert 2.0

In addition to protecting right whales, Whale Alert now incorporates a long list of threatened and endangered species such as the blue whale, and covers Canadian and US Pacific waters as well, making this tool national and international in scope and impact.

And with the newly designed two-way interface, you, the user, can now play a direct role in the conservation of these species by reporting sightings of live, dead and distressed animals.

If you would like to donate, we can always put the funds to great use! (see the Take Action below).

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Network

The Whale Alert network is comprised of regional efforts on the East and West coasts of the United States (and beyond) to reduce ship strikes and other human activities that threaten species recovery. Network members utilize various areas of expertise including technology, research, outreach, and education to increase the effectiveness of whale strike preventive measures.
Whale Alert - West Coast

The West Coast collaboration was conceived by the five national marine sanctuaries of the West Coast, Conserve.IO, and Point Blue Conservation Science, in coordination with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), to reduce the number of ship collisions with whales. West Coast national marine sanctuaries encompass 12,843 square miles of marine protected areas around the Channel Islands, Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, Monterey Bay and Olympic Coast. Sanctuaries use a multi-pronged approach to reducing the risk of whale ship strikes and have committed to activities in research and monitoring, policy and management collaborations, and education and outreach. To learn about new and continuing initiatives led by West Coast sanctuaries and partners, visit the sanctuary website dedicated to reducing ship strike risk to whales. Sanctuaries are host to numerous threatened and endangered whale species such as blue, humpback, fin, sperm, and western North Pacific gray whales among others. These migratory whales rely on the highly productive waters located in the West Coast sanctuaries supplied by the California Current System.

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA Stellwagen National Marine Sanctuary was the originating sanctuary of the Whale Alert project. It uniquely leverages acoustic technology to help detect the presence of right whales in the Boston Channel and uses the Whale Alert platform to alert commercial shippers.

The sanctuary hosts some of the largest aggregations of endangered whales to occur along the eastern seaboard of the United States.

NOAA Fisheries Service - Northeast Science Center

The North Atlantic Right Whale Sighting Survey (NARWSS) is a NOAA Fisheries program which locates and records the seasonal distribution of North Atlantic right whales off the northeastern coast of the United States. Surveys are conducted aboard a NOAA Twin Otter aircraft year-round that flies systematic track lines within eleven primary survey blocks including Cashes Ledge, Franklin Basin, Georges Basin, Georges Shoal, Great South Channel (SCOPEX North and South), Howell Swell, Jeffreys Ledge, Jordan Basin, Lindenkohl Basin and Stellwagen Bank.

The Cornell Lab - BRP

The Bioacoustics Research Program (BRP) is a unit within the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. BRP develops digital recording equipment, computer software, and algorithms that are used by scientists around the world to study animal communication and to monitor the health of wildlife populations. BRP is also pioneering new techniques for censusing and tracking wildlife with arrays of microphones placed in natural environments around the globe.

New England Aquarium - Conservation & Research

The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest whale species in the world. Once heavily hunted, the North Atlantic right whale has not recovered from the pressure of historic whaling. Around 500 of these whales remain.

Vulnerable to vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, this species suffers mortality from human activities. Its recovery is threatened by low reproduction, habitat loss, disease and environmental contaminants. Solutions to reduce human impact on right whales exist, but implementation remains a challenge.

Marine Mammal Commission

The Marine Mammal Commission is an independent agency of the U.S. Government, established under Title II of the Act to provide independent oversight of the marine mammal conservation policies and programs being carried out by federal regulatory agencies. Among its many duties, it maintains objective overview of domestic and international activities by federal agencies affecting marine mammals and provides informed and objective advice to the executive and legislative branches of the federal government on measures needed to achieve the policies and provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The MMC is both a financial and domain expertise supporter of the Whale Alert project.

The Whale Trail

The Whale Trail is a series of sites around the Northwest where the public may view orcas, other whales, and marine mammals from shore.

The Whale Trail's mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of whales and our marine environment by establishing a network of viewing sites along the whales’ trails through Puget Sound and the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest.

The Whale Trail utilizes the Whale Alert platform to provide its community a means to collect whale observations and to contribute data to the Whale Alert project at large.

Bay of Fundy / Tidal Energy

Tidal Energy is teaming up with scientists to better understand the potential impact of tidal turbine power generators on local marine life, including whales and other marine mammals.

The group is utilizing the Whale Alert platform to survey and track the movements of marine mammals in the proposed ares of development and will be using the platform to monitor the environment on an on-going basis.

Channel Island Cetacean Research Unit

At Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit (CICRU) we pride ourselves in the daily contribution to cetacean research and understanding the health of the oceans. CICRU is a bio-surveillance research group analyzing the health of the ocean through the health of cetaceans. We believe in "One Ocean, One Health."

Green Marine

ADVANCING ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE

Green Marine is an environmental certification program for the North American marine industry.

It is a voluntary, transparent and inclusive initiative that addresses key environmental issues through its 12 performance indicators. Participants are shipowners, ports, terminals, Seaway corporations and shipyards. The cornerstone of the Green Marine initiative is its far-reaching environmental program, which makes it possible for any marine company operating in Canada or the U.S. to reduce its environmental footprint by undertaking concrete and measurable actions.

To receive their certification, participants must benchmark their annual environmental performance through the program’s exhaustive self-evaluation guides, have their results verified by an accredited external verifier and agree to publication of their individual results.

Ørsted

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy.

Since 2006, we have increased the share of green energy in our heat and power generation from 13 to 64%. Now, we have set a new target of more than 95% green energy by 2023.

Ørsted is the global leader in offshore wind, responsible for more than a quarter of the world’s installed offshore wind capacity.

Ørsted is a financial backer of the Whale Alert Project and a key representative of network of energy partners.

ProtectedSeas.net

ProtectedSeas publishes the most comprehensive Marine Managed Area map online and is an active developer of ocean conservation technology.

ProtectedSeas provides critical technical resources and on-going guidance on the ever expanding set of Whale Alert projects.
Why an app?

Busy shipping lanes that coincide with whale feeding areas, breeding regions, and migratory routes present an immense ship strike threat to whales.

With the free Whale Alert app, mariners and members of the public are provided with a user-friendly tool directly on their iPad or iPhone that displays whale "safety zones". The app also allows the user to report any live, dead, or distressed whale sightings to the appropriate response agency; thus making this app an important tool for reducing ship strike threat to all whale species.

Sightings support

Whale Alert "2.0" makes it easy for the public, industry partners and volunteer networks to contribute whale sightings in a simple to use interface.

The app automatically sends sightings to a central database which, in turn, is used by leading whale biologists and resource managers to better understand whale feeding and migration patterns.

Direct connections to first responder networks.

Critically, "2.0" now includes the ability to report any live, dead, or distressed whale sightings. The app facilities phone calls (where required) and directs the reports to the right management professionals, enhancing the survivability of whales in distress.

How do "Alerts" work?

Using built-in GPS technology commonly found in smart phones and tablets, the the app "alerts" users with visual and auditory alerts when they enter active management zones.

By doing so, Whale Alert makes it easier to navigate the network of overlapping and evolving conservation zones and shipping lanes.

The current roster of zones (more in the next few slides) is supplied by various federal and state regulatory agencies including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), California Department of Fish & Wildlife and Oregon Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Alert zones: SMA's, DMA's

Seasonal Management Areas (SMA's) are areas where NOAA requires vessels 65 feet in length or greater to travel at speeds of less than or equal to 10 knots. SMAs along the eastern seaboard of the US will appear as orange-colored displays. If a boat enters an a seasonally active SMA, a pop-up will appear stating that the ship should be traveling at the regulated speed.

Dynamic Management Areas (DMAs) use sightings of multiple whales to trigger temporary, voluntary speed restrictions or advisory notices. DMAs will appear during designated time periods. A pop-up alert providing explanatory details is displayed when entering DMAs.

Voluntary Areas to be Avoided (ATBA) in U.S. and Canadian Waters – Voluntary seasonal Areas to be Avoided (ATBA) in key right whale habitats have been established for ships weighing 300 gross tons or greater.

Recommended Routes (RR) are paths produced by NOAA (and shown in the app) to help guide vessels through densely populated whale areas.

Alert zones: California MPA's

As part of the 2.0 release, the app now includes the full compliment of California Marine Protected Areas. As with all sensitive zonal boundaries, the app detects when you've traversed an MPA boundary and alerts you to the respective "Do's and Don'ts".

On maps developed by the California Fish & Wildlife Department, the bright colors correspond to the type and amount of protection of marine life. To learn more about this important resource go to http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/mpa/index.asp

Alert zones: Boston Harbor

Boston Harbor - Whale Alert also uses a state-of-the-art acoustic detection system to warn mariners of the presence of right whales in the shipping lanes leading through NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and to and from Boston, Massachusetts. The systems is based on buoys that use hydrophones, special software and satellite communication to identify right whale calls and automatically relay information to mariners.

Yellow whale tails indicate that a right whale has been detected within the past 24 hrs and NOAA recommends a speed of 10 knots or less through the area of the circle during that time period.

Feature: Reporting

Mandatory Ship Reporting (MSR) – NOAA requires commercial ships of 300 gross tons and greater to report in when entering designated right whale reporting areas along the U.S. East Coast. When a ship enters a MSR area, a pop-up display will appear reminding the mariner to report to the US Coast Guard and providing information on reporting procedures.

Whale Alert greatly simplifies the process by including the MSR notice directly within the app.

New Feature: PORTS® data

Another feature specifically designed to help vessel operators is the inclusion of Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®) tide and weather data supplied by NOAA.

Where available, PORTS® adds an important situational awareness feature that will help large vessel operators gain the upper hand on the host of environmental conditions affecting their ability to act on whale protection measures.
Meet the partners...
Take Action!

Contribute Data

Download the app here and collect and submit observation data - it all counts and it's all useful.

Donate

Your donation will provide critical support for further development of technology, education, research, and outreach. No donation is too small...or too large!

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