An AI-powered WhaleSpotter network began operating in San Francisco Bay to detect whale blows and heat signatures around the clock. The system scans up to 2 nautical miles away and alerts mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby. The deployment responds to a sharp rise in gray whale deaths in the Bay Area, including deaths attributed to ship strikes. Last year recorded 21 dead gray whales in the wider Bay Area, the highest in 25 years, and at least 10 more have died so far this year. Scientists say carcasses may sink or be swept away, so reported numbers likely underestimate total mortality. Gray whales migrate between Mexico breeding lagoons and Arctic feeding grounds, but more whales now enter the bay and linger, linked to climate change and disrupted Arctic food webs.
"The system, called WhaleSpotter, scans the bay around the clock for whale blows and heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away, alerting mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby. "They'll be able to make adjustments way before they get anywhere close," said Thomas Hall, director of operations for San Francisco Bay Ferry. "It will also allow us to track data over time and see where the whales are camping out so we can adjust our routes during whale season to avoid those areas completely.""
"Last year, 21 dead gray whales were found in the wider Bay Area - the highest number in 25 years, according to The Marine Mammal Center - with at least 40% killed by ship strikes. At least 10 more have died in the Bay Area so far this year. Scientists say those figures likely underestimate the true toll as many whale carcasses sink or are swept back out to sea before they are ever found or reported."
"Gray whales have long migrated along the California coast on their roughly 12,000-mile (19,300-kilometer) journey between breeding lagoons in Mexico and feeding grounds in the Arctic. But instead of simply passing offshore, increasing numbers are now diverting into San Francisco Bay and lingering for days or even weeks inside the crowded estuary - a shift scientists increasingly link to climate change. Warming temperatures and shifts in sea ice in the Arctic are disrupting the food web gray whales rely on during summer feeding months, according to a 2023 study in Science, leaving many malnourished during migration."
#ai-wildlife-detection #ship-strike-mitigation #gray-whales #san-francisco-bay #climate-change-impacts
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