Whales make long migrations, travelling thousands of miles across the ocean. During these vast journeys, many cross busy shipping lanes where they’re put at risk of being hit – and, often, killed – by a fast-moving vessel. Now, researchers are using AI to try to protect them.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) and the University of La Laguna (ULL) are using AI technology from Sea.AI to prevent ship strikes.
The technology works by detecting movement in the water and flagging when there might be an animal swimming below the surface. This helps navigators on the vessel spot the whales – which can be hard to see from onboard the ship – and adjust their course to avoid them.
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“We aim to build a better understanding of whale behaviour near the surface and help prevent harmful interactions with human activity,” says Carlos Efrén Mora Luis, University of La Laguna.
As well as preventing ship strikes, the technology could also provide real-time data to help researchers track and monitor whales.
Emilie De Loose, project leader at the IWDG, hopes this development will bring “new opportunities to improve whale conservation in increasingly busy shipping routes.”
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