20 FOGHORN are shorter but often have more traffic patterns within them. These routes also have more stops, and the crew must regularly move between wheelhouse and deck based on responsibilities. Now, there is a second person joining the wheelhouse to stand watch, an extra set of eyes scan- ning for whales. While the second watchstander has aided efforts to avoid a whale strike, it has the added benefit of offering crew the opportunity for a higher level of training which many are seeking. The operation understands that there are times when traffic concerns make it impossible to avoid an area with whales. In these cases, vessels are to treat the area as a min- imum wake zone and give a wide berth to the creatures. Part of the company’s policy is to document all their efforts to protect whales. From the second watchstander specifi- cally on the lookout for whales to treating part of a route as a minimum wake zone, all steps taken to avoid a whale strike are logged. The team is focused on consistency, mak- ing sure that all possible efforts are made on every trip. Heeter is also a part of the HSC SF’s Marine Mammal Subcommittee which partnered with the Marine Mammal Center to develop a program called Whale Smart which will offer education and training for commercial operators to help enhance whale safety efforts. The program will be introduced on a learning management system, Heeter explained, and will educate captains on whale strike mit- igation, whale species identification, whale behavior, past practices, and more. All the work being done so far has led to a wealth of data that is helping not only vessel operators but also marine biologist. The operators are recording details such as whale behavior, what the creatures are doing during different tide cycles, which locations they’re in, and their feeding habits based on the tides. Some of this has provided new insights to scientists studying the animals. The data is also an end goal for the operators. “We feel like if we could get enough data, Heeter said, “we could plan our routes based on whether it was flooding, whether it was slack, whether it was ebbing, and we could use the protocol lanes to our advantage.” To help gather more information one of the next steps will be to begin using WhaleSpotter, an AI and thermal imaging technology that helps to detect whales even in total darkness. Cameras are mounted to boats and static locations such as islands and bridges and scan the water continuously. Crew, control rooms, and operational dashboards are alerted to the detection of the presence of a whale. According to Whale- Spotter’s site, detections are reviewed within seconds and verified by trained experts around the clock leading to almost zero false positives. The long-term goal is to have that data also appear on the electronic chart systems (ECS) computers as electronic aids to navigation (ATONs) so that vessels would see the location of whales in the area right on their screens. Heeter noted that they hope to get cameras posted on such places at the Bay Bridge or Angel Island. Each location is overseen by a different entity or organization so it will take time and effort to get all stakeholders on board. He said they already have engineers looking at how to mount the cameras on their boats so the opportunity to utilize this technology is growing closer. While great strides have been made with the new initiatives, Heeter said there is still a lot of work to do. “What we’re doing is not enough, and that’s something that I want to make sure everybody knows,” he said. “We didn’t accomplish enough yet.” The whale season started in the region at the beginning of March and as of the end of April, there were already five dead whales recorded. Last year there were 20 dead whales found in the Bay, which all had hoped was an anomaly. Nec- ropsies are performed, when possible, but it can be hard to know the exact cause of death. One deceased whale was pho- tographed outside the Bay Bridge; it’s believed to have floated into the Bay with the tide and not a death caused by a vessel strike. Some whales may be struck by vessels after dying. The cause for the surge in whale populations in the area has not yet been determined. People agree that several whales last year appeared to be sick or starving or both. Some have speculated there was a food source shortage in summer when the whales were in Alaska and that they didn’t get enough to eat. Another theory was that an algae bloom further south had sickened some of the whales. “After lis- tening to enough experts,” Heeter said, “the one common theme was nobody really knows. It’s just speculation.” One certainty is that it is early to have five dead whales, he not- ed. “It’s not a good start [to the season].” While there is more work to be done, Heeter is hopeful that the technology being adopted will make a significant difference in the endeavors to collect data on whales and FOGHORN FOCUS
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