Robotic Buoys Could Save Rare Whales from Ship Collisions

THINK

Jun 15

With just 336 known North Atlantic right whales remaining, scientists are turning to technology to keep this declining species safe from one of its biggest threats.

A groundbreaking new technology that aims to protect North Atlantic right whales from deadly ship collisions has been created by scientists in collaboration with one of the world’s largest shipping businesses.

The robotic buoys, developed by researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, detect and record the sounds of whales in near-real time, providing a general location of rare North Atlantic right whales, said Mark Baumgartner, a marine ecologist with Woods Hole whose lab also operates the buoys.

This technology could be a leading solution to help save the highly critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, which migrates between Canada and the United States through some of the busiest stretches of ocean. Their population is at its lowest point in 20 years, numbering only 336 individuals, with ship strikes one of the leading factors in their decline.

"We have to change our industrial practices when whales are around. That's what this tech enables," Baumgartner said. "Having the industry tell us what works and what doesn't is the best way to have solutions that will actually be implemented."

French shipping giant CMA CGM is working with Woods Hole to fund and deploy two of the robotic buoys off the east coast states of Virginia and Georgia. These additional buoys will add to the data collected by six others off the East Coast, Baumgartner said, and could be deployed for testing soon.

Declining numbers

Once common off the U.S. east coast, populations initially sank due to commercial whale hunting, but nowadays, North Atlantic right whales are facing increasing threats in their key habitats and the ‘blue corridors’ they use to migrate.

Between 2017 and 2021, 34 North Atlantic right whales died off the Canadian and United States coasts due to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, with 86 percent of known right whales having been entangled in fishing gear at least once.

Despite a network of protected areas designed to aid the whales, scientists have recently voiced concerns that the marine mammals have been increasingly roaming away from these protected regions in search of food as the oceans get warmer.

CMA CGM representatives stated that the buoys were strategically placed in the Virginia cities of Norfolk and Savannah since they are among the busiest shipping ports in the United States.

Ed Aldridge, president of CMA CGM America, said it’s an effort to “responsibly share the ocean with marine mammals and protect endangered species.”

The construction, maintenance and operation of the buoys will be covered by the company for three years, according to Heather Wood, director of sustainability for CMA CGM America. It hopes to form a consortium of shippers that will employ this type of technology to safeguard whales, Wood said.

“It’s an investment we’re making in the future of the seas and the future of the right whale,” she added.

How do the buoys work?

Although acoustic recorders have been tracking whale noises for decades, buoys that offer near real-time sound are a relatively new concept, Baumgartner said.

Thanks to this innovation, data will be available to scientists and mariners every few hours rather than months down the line. Published on the public website, Slow Zones for Right Whales, the results will help federal authorities determine when to enact vessel-speed restrictions where mariners are encouraged to reduce speeds to 10 knots or less.

The data "allow us to send information to mariners quickly so those that are able can take action (by slowing down or avoiding the areas) to reduce the risk of vessel strike, which is one of the largest threats to this endangered population," scientists Diane Borggaard and Genevieve Davis of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a joint statement.

Your chance to help whales, too

By far the deadliest threat facing whales is the fishing industry, with the entanglement in fishing gear and “ghost nets” - fishing equipment which is lost or abandoned in the sea - responsible for the death of around 300,000 whales each year. Choosing plant-based seafood options can help turn the tide on this industry and protect all marine animals. To help you dip your toe into the world of plant-based living, we’ve created a free What We Think, Wear & Eat Starter Kit, available to download here.

Vegan Fish Tacos by Kelham Island Kitchen

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