Ocean Wise Expands Underwater Microphone Whale Detection Initiative

Vancouver, British Columbia — Ocean Wise is pleased to announce the expansion of whale presence alerts to commercial mariners in southern resident killer whale critical habitat. This expansion is thanks to SMRU Consulting in collaboration with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, as they integrate underwater microphones, or hydrophones, off the coast of Lime Kiln Point State Park on San Juan Island, Washington State, to the Whale Report Alert System.

The Ocean Wise Whale Report Alert System, or WRAS, works to protect whale populations from ship disturbances and collisions by alerting nearby commercial mariners to the presence of whales. With this integration, hydrophones at Lime Kiln will provide data to the WRAS, which will automatically send alerts to nearby large vessels with real-time information on whale presence.

Ocean Wise first introduced the integration of hydrophones – or underwater microphones – into the WRAS in April 2024 with its integration with the Boundary Pass listening station in collaboration with Transport Canada, JASCO Applied Sciences and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. Hydrophones automatically detect whale calls and clicks. These whale detections are then communicated in real-time to mariners via the WRAS, helping them to make informed decisions to slow down or re-route to avoid disturbing or injuring the whales.

The hydrophone located in the waters surrounding Lime Kiln Lighthouse, located off Lime Kiln Point State Park, was chosen for data integration with WRAS, as this is an area well frequented by Southern Resident Killer Whales. 

In collaboration with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and The Whale Museum, SMRU Consulting upgraded the existing hydrophone at Lime Kiln in 2016. Since its integration with the WRAS in June 2024, the system has sent over 100 real-time alerts to mariners, 44% of which were issued after daylight hours—times when traditional visual whale detection methods are less effective.

Ocean Wise anticipates that the expanded use of hydrophones will lead to more alerts being generated by the WRAS, increasing mariner awareness and reducing the risk of vessel strikes.

The Whale Report Alert System is a key component of the Ocean Wise Sightings Network. For more information, visit ocean.org/whales.

About Ocean Wise

Ocean Wise is a global conservation organization dedicated to empowering communities to take meaningful action to protect and restore our oceans. Through research, education, innovation, and collaboration, we are addressing critical ocean challenges, including plastic pollution, overfishing, and climate change. With operations in Canada, the United States, and Chile, our work impacts over two dozen countries worldwide.

About the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and the Port of Vancouver

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency responsible for the shared stewardship of the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port. Our mandate is to enable Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver, while protecting the environment and considering local communities. The port authority oversees the use of port land and water, which borders 16 municipalities and intersects the traditional territories and treaty lands of more than 35 Coast Salish Indigenous groups. Enabling the trade of approximately $300 billion in goods with between 140 and 170 countries each year, port activities sustain 132,400 jobs, $9.3 billion in wages, and $16.3 billion in GDP across Canada.

About SMRU Consulting

SMRU Consulting is a global leader in marine mammal consulting and research, delivering innovative, robust and environmentally sound solutions to clients active in the marine environment. Our staff have extensive experience in carrying out research into many facets of marine mammal biology. We work across all marine sectors from wet renewables, civil engineering, infrastructure, oil and gas and decommissioning to government, defense, and scientific research and development. We have considerable experience with developing frameworks for environmental assessments, the development of risk modeling techniques such as noise impact assessment methods and collision risk modeling, Bioacoustics, Active sonar, Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM), Seal telemetry and count data and Industry-focused R&D projects. SMRU Consulting also works closely with our academic partners, the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) and the Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM) at the University of St. Andrews.