Douglas McCauley, director of the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at UCSB, said collisions with ships are one of the greatest dangers to North American right whales. Four right whales have been found dead so far this year, and three of the deaths have been attributed to a vessel strike, including whale #1950 found in Virginia Beach.
The mapping tool, called Whale Safe North America, builds upon the laboratory’s original Whale Safe tool, which provides real-time information about the location of whales and ships off the West Coast. The new map looks at all slow-speed zones within North American waters, including the Mid-Atlantic and the rest of the East Coast. The map and its data also provide a score card for shipping companies, assessing their speed limit compliance on a ship-by-ship basis.
“We’ve already seen that asking ships to travel less than 10 knots where whales have been sighted can save these creatures’ lives, but not all ships are abiding by these limits,” McCauley said. “Thanks to a range of innovative technologies, we can now pinpoint speeding ships and provide data to help companies save whales.”
The tool assesses company performance based on how many of the nautical miles their ships travel within any of the slow speed zones at 10 knots or less. Most vessels 65 feet or longer must travel at 10 knots or less in certain locations along the East Coast, depending on the time of the year. For Hampton Roads, the speed limit is in effect from Nov. 1 through April 30. During other times of the year, voluntary speed limits may be in effect.
Right whales are approaching extinction. According to data from NOAA, there are roughly 360 remaining, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females.
The number of new calves born in recent years has been “below average.” Many of their deaths have been attributed to vessel strikes and entanglement. NOAA also reported that ocean noise from human activities such as shipping, boating, construction and energy exploration and development has increased in the Northwest Atlantic.
Rachel Rhodes, a project scientist at the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory who led the tool’s development, said that ship collisions are not just a United States problem, and she hopes the new tool can be an example for other areas of the world, as well.
“As the maritime industry grows, real-time analytics make it possible for everyone from shipping company logistic planners to the general public to keep track of how ships perform,” she said.
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