In March of this year, three whales were killed because of ship collisions, being slashed at by propellers, and having their bones broken from the force. This is a problem, as some whale species have been severely affected by humans. An example is the right whale, estimated to have only 356 specimens remaining, making it endangered. To solve this, Whale Safe was created to protect the whales by installing microphone buoys that detect the sound emitted using an AI to determine the whale type and transmit data to nearby ships. This tells them to slow down in specific areas and avoid collisions because the whales will have time to react, and the ship can turn to avoid killing the whales. This technology has been proven successful, as 2022 the number of deaths was less than half of the number before. Other countries have taken this idea for their own use, in Chile they have installed an acoustic buoy to protect their own whales and Greek reserchers are using it to detect sperm whales in 3D. This technology is only beginning and may play a crucial part in helping endangered whales get back up from the brink of extinction.
RELATED STORIES:
- https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/04/11/new-technology-can-keep-whales-safe-from-speeding-ships
- https://ecosystemsentinels.org/whalesafe/
- https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/news/whale-safe-to-launch-off-the-san-francisco-coastline
- https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/04/12/nation/right-whales-tool-tracks-speeding-ships/
- https://usa.oceana.org/blog/can-technology-save-the-north-atlantic-right-whale/
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