Protecting Killer Whales in Salish Sea

In a feature article titled Protecting Killer Whales in Salish Sea - Cabled Underwater Listening Station Monitors Ship Noise in the July issue of Sea Technology Magazine, JASCO Applied Sciences’ Nicole Chorney, Jack Hennessey, and David Hannay describe an advanced multi-sensor underwater observatory deployed off British Columbia’s south coast that keeps watch on noise from passing ships and has the ability to track endangered Southern Resident killer whales.

From the article:

On the west coast of southern British Columbia (B.C.) and Washington state, the Salish Sea connects the major port cities of Seattle and Vancouver to the North Pacific Ocean. These coastal waters, which include the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound and connecting passes, are a major thoroughfare for merchant shipping. In addition to the multitude of private and smaller vessels, in a typical year, the Salish Sea sees more than 12,000 large merchant ship transits and more than 300,000 crossings by B.C. and Washington ferries. These busy waters are also home to over 37 species of marine mammals, 172 species of birds and 253 species of fish; 108 of these species are considered at risk or vulnerable to extinction. Of particular concern are the Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs). This population of orcas has been considered endangered since 2001, when it numbered 78 individuals. As of February 2021, only 75 individuals remain.

“the Salish Sea sees more than 12,000 large merchant ship transits and more than 300,000 crossings by B.C. and Washington ferries. These busy waters are also home to over 37 species of marine mammals, 172 species of birds and 253 species of fish; 108 of these species are considered at risk or vulnerable to extinction.”

Continuing the success of [a previously deployed] Strait of Georgia listening station, JASCO was contracted by Transport Canada to develop, deploy and operate for a longer term a cabled observatory in the Salish Sea. The five-year $9.5 million Boundary Pass Underwater Listening Station (ULS) project has three main goals: first, to systematically measure, adhering to international standards, the underwater noise emissions of nearly every large commercial vessel calling ports in southern British Columbia; second, to detect and localize/track vocalizing cetaceans; and third, to document the underwater noise environment over many years. Boundary Pass, a 23-km-long strait along the Canada-U.S. border, was chosen for its narrowly spaced shipping lanes that allow vessels traveling in both directions to be measured from one observing location, its deep waters that satisfy measurement standards, and for its location in important SRKW critical habitat.

Read the full article or browse the entire Sea Technology July issue.