SAN FRANCISCO (May 20)—Last year, 21 gray whales were found dead in and around San Francisco Bay and 40% of those deaths were due to collisions with ships. Whale season typically peaks in May in the area and already seven whales have died thus far. Today, a local coalition has unveiled a near real-time, thermal camera monitoring system that detects whales’ heat signatures and “blows” (exhaled breath) in the busy waterway and then alerts nearby mariners to re-route or reduce their speed to avoid hitting them.
Currently amid a 12,000-mile migration from their Alaskan feeding ground to their Mexican mating and birthing lagoons and back, gray whales are taking an unexpected detour into the heavily-trafficked Bay, presently a new challenge for the Bay Area mariner community to address. Scientists believe the whales are impacted by the changing climate: their food sources in the Arctic aren’t sustaining them for their journey, requiring them to make unusual stops in the Bay and elsewhere to search for food.
“It is heartbreaking to see these starving whales stumbling around in the middle of the hustle and bustle of San Francisco Bay. Every day is a nailbiter. But what gives me hope is seeing how all the right partners in the Bay Area community have come together to do something. This new system will save whales’ lives. We are all proud of this.”
— Professor Douglas McCauley, Director, Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory, UC Santa Barbara
Designed by researchers at the Benioff Ocean Science Lab, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service, whale experts at The Marine Mammal Center, the system employs Flir thermal cameras coupled with AI-powered detection technology developed by WhaleSpotter that identifies marine mammals, 24/7, detecting the heat signature of a warm-blooded whale blow at a range of up to 4 nautical miles (7 km). Each detection is instantly reviewed by one of WhaleSpotter’s credentialed marine mammal specialists before any alert goes out. Once they are spotted, UCSB scientists map out the whale detections on the Whale Safe website and share them with Bay mariners and the U.S. Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service, which then can radio vessels when there are whales in the area under imminent threat.
The effort comes amid a troubling new pattern in gray whale population decline: Half of all Eastern North Pacific gray whales have died in the past 10 years. Researchers point to changes in their Arctic feeding grounds as the trigger for this crisis. As Arctic sea ice declines precipitously, the food chain upon which the whales depend is under threat. Less ice means less food.
As a result, many hungry gray whales are making a detour on their migration route into the San Francisco Bay, apparently to rest and search for food. This puts them at great risk as they must navigate around the many cargo ships, tankers, ferries, speed boats, fishing boats, and tour boats that transit the Bay every day. Many emaciated and exhausted whales have become victims of ship-strikes.
“We’re relieved to have these cameras going live during this critical moment in the gray whale season. Last year was one of the deadliest on record for gray whales in the Bay, with 21 dead, and seven more have already died this year. The whale and mariner communities have been racing to get ahead of this, building new tools and partnerships we didn’t have a year ago.”
— Rachel Rhodes, Scientist leading the project, Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory
The first node in the whale detection network was installed in collaboration with the Coast Guard on a USCG communication station on Angel Island. The system points across the Bay towards Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge and covers a hotspot of overlap between gray whales and vessels. The second detection system will be installed on MV Lyra, a passenger ferry operated by San Francisco Bay Ferry on a daily route connecting Vallejo to Downtown San Francisco. SF Bay Ferry, a public ferry agency that carries 3 million passengers per year, will host the first such vessel-based whale detection system in the Bay. Discussions are underway to expand the network to eventually create capacity to detect and track all whales present in all parts of the Bay. Next strategically important expansion locations based on the whale data include sites such as the Golden Gate Bridge or Alcatraz.
“SF Bay Ferry has worked closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Marine Mammal Center, the Harbor Safety Committee, our contract operator Blue & Gold Fleet and our sister agency Golden Gate Ferry to develop and elevate whale protection protocols and avoid strikes in the San Francisco Bay. This work includes ongoing monitoring, enhanced communication and education among mariners, and operating mitigations such as route adjustments and speed reductions in the presence of whales. Testing the thermal monitoring system designed and provided by the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory is the next evolution of our work, and we’re thrilled to soon have one of the Bay’s two monitoring cameras on our ferry. We remain committed to bringing together fellow vessel operators to protect whales with the best available technology and protocols.”
— Seamus Murphy, Executive Director, SF Bay Ferry
The thermal camera expansion is one piece of a broader collaboration coordinated through the San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee’s Marine Mammal Subcommittee that brings together a dozen organizations, including ferry operators, Vessel Traffic Service, marine mammal specialists, and research institutions to protect gray whales while keeping vessel traffic moving safely through the Bay.
“You can open an app on your phone and instantaneously see the exact location of every Muni bus in San Francisco. We aim to soon be able to do the same thing for whales in the Bay. This would be a game changer for whale safety.”
— Professor Douglas McCauley, Director, Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory
“For too long, mariners have been asked to protect whales they simply couldn’t see. We’re changing that. This deployment means ships in San Francisco Bay now have eyes on the water, day and night, miles ahead. The whales have been here for thousands of years. We intend to keep it that way.”
— Shawn Henry, CEO, WhaleSpotter
“I’m excited to see WhaleSpotter deployed in San Francisco Bay. This kind of real-time whale monitoring is a major step forward for reducing vessel strike risk and protecting gray whales navigating one of the nation’s busiest waterways. Having 24/7 visibility into when whales are present will strengthen awareness and communication across the maritime sector and support action to help keep both whales and vessels safe.”
— Kathi George, Director of Cetacean Conservation Biology, The Marine Mammal Center