It is estimated that 20,000 whales die from ship strikes each year, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts, is using artificial intelligence and thermal imaging cameras to reduce these unnecessary deaths. We are working on making use of it.
The independent organization, which specializes in marine research, technology and education, said the technology could spot whales more than six miles away and alert ship captains before a deadly attack occurs.
“This technology uses thermal imaging to detect the whale’s body and spout, providing real-time information about its distance and bearing from the ship,” Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announced in an October press release. did. “The goal is to provide the captain with sufficient time to allow the vessel to change course or slow down.”
Infrared camera systems mounted on ships can detect moving objects, such as whales, from miles away. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is collaborating with Hawaii’s Matson Navigation Company to better protect marine mammals from ocean liners, commercial fishing vessels, and cargo vessels. Hawaii-based shipping company Matson Navigation has pledged $1 million to support WHOI’s whaling camera research and development.
The company is also participating in the study by installing detection systems on one of its ships on trade routes in Hawaii and another in Alaska.
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During three months of pilot testing, the technology identified 1,169 whales and dolphins. Daniel Zitterbart, an associate scientist at WHOI who specializes in ocean physics and ocean engineering, said the camera’s algorithms filter out thermal signatures from boats, birds and waves, and only detect possible whale detections. He said he would send a warning.
“Highly stabilized thermal imaging cameras are mounted on the ship to monitor the surface of the whale, including its surfacing, exhalation and blows,” Zitterbart said. “When a whale blows, its heat signature is recognized by the integrated AI and alerts the ship’s crew within seconds that there is a whale several kilometers away.”
Mapped whale or dolphin detection using new AI technology. (Image courtesy of Dan Zitterbart, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
The AI-assisted cameras will send a warning to humans within 15 seconds if a whale is likely to be sighted, the organizations said. That person then verifies or discredits the sighting to ensure the captain does not receive false alarms.
John Karambokidis, a senior research biologist at Cascadia Research Collective who has been following advances in the technology for the past decade, told KTLA sister station KOIN that this is the first time a detection system has been combined with a practical validation method. He said it was research.
“We don’t want false negatives, where something that isn’t a whale is identified as a whale,” Karambokidis said. “Because then captains and ships start avoiding things. Or once they see it’s not working, they start ignoring it. So it was kind of a nice new addition.”
As many as 16 species of whales live in the waters off Hawaii and along the U.S. West Coast. Whales most at risk of ship collisions off the West Coast include blue whales, which are listed as endangered, humpback whales, and gray whales, which are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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“Blue, Fin, and Humpback Whale” [whales] was the main species [of concern regarding ship strike]” said Karambokidis. “They are both large and coastal, and may occur in areas of high density and heavy shipping traffic, making them particularly vulnerable to ship strikes. In other oceans, such as the North Atlantic, , the biggest concern is the North Atlantic right whale.”
Vessel collisions and entanglements are some of the leading causes of injury and death to marine animals such as whales. While the new technology is promising, Kalambokidis said it is just one way to reduce ship collisions.
“I’m certainly excited about technology like this,” he said. “And to see this actually tested and implemented and actually adopted by some shipping companies, these were encouraging directions along this line. There are multiple strategies to reduce vessel collisions. I think it will be necessary.”
