An estimated one in four whales are spotted by aerial surveys, leaving the rest vulnerable to ship strikes or fishing gear entanglements. But scientists say an underwater listening system they're developing will dramatically improve detection and reduce whale deaths.
The “passive acoustic'' system would find whales and immediately transmit their location to nearby vessels.
“It will reduce (ship) strikes, period,'' said Richard Merrick, chief of the protected species branch at NOAA Fisheries, New England.
Only about 350 North Atlantic right whales remain. In the last 14 months, at least eight have been found dead, though scientists recently speculated there could be far more deaths that were never discovered. Four of the known deaths were attributed to ship strikes and one to fishing gear entanglement.
The underwater microphones could allow scientists to pinpoint up to 75 percent of whales in areas they're known to frequent and reduce collisions, Merrick said.
It would enable scientists to scan for whales all the time, instead of just in sunlight or good weather. Researchers wouldn't be as dependent on the sometimes dangerous aerial surveys, or the luck needed to be overhead when a whale surfaces.
