Science and the Sea Podcast
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Traffic Control
Some gray whales have been making dangerous detours in recent years. During their annual migrations along the Pacific coast of the United States, they’ve been ducking into bays to eat and rest. But that increases the risk of collisions with ships. To reduce the risk, researchers have developed some systems for tracking the whales and passing the details to mariners. Eastern North Pacific gray whales spend the summer in the Arctic, where they feed. They head south in the fall, for the bays and lagoons of Baja California, where they give birth-a round trip of about 12,000 miles. But rising ocean temperatures have cut their Arctic food supply. Many of them have starved to death. From 2016 to 2025, the population dropped by almost half. Migrating whales used to pass by the bays. But now, weakened by the lack of food, they’re entering the bays to forage. So the number of ship strikes has gone way up. A team has developed tracking tools for use in San Francisco Bay. One tool combines visual sightings with detections by underwater microphones. Another, which debuted in 2026, uses infrared cameras linked to an AI system. They detect the whales’ body heat and the puffs of air from their blowholes. The whales’ locations are posted online. The Coast Guard also sends out the details via radio. That allows vessels to change course or speed to avoid an impact-making the detour a little less risky for the migrating whales. The post Traffic Control appeared first on Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin.. ]]>
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