Ship strikes are a leading threat to large whales, with global shipping routes overlapping 92% of their habitats, a new study finds. But protecting whales in the most dangerous collision hotspots would require action over just 2.6% of the ocean’s surface, researchers conclude, potentially saving thousands of whales with minimal disruption to global trade. The study looked at four of the largest and most impacted whales: blue (Balaenoptera musculus), fin (B. physalus), humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Researchers overlapped locations of 430,000 recorded sightings of these whales with the courses of 176,000 cargo ships to pinpoint high-risk areas for whale collisions. The endangered blue whale, the largest animal ever to live, was found to be disproportionately impacted around the Azores Islands, the West Coast of the U.S. and around the southern tip of India. Meanwhile, humpbacks, famous for their haunting songs, are at highest risk along South Africa’s coast and between China and Taiwan. “We were surprised by the lack of protective measures that are in place for guarding whales against these collisions with vessels,” Briana Abrahms, the study’s senior author and an assistant professor at the University of Washington, U.S., told Mongabay by phone. “Our study is really a big first step in identifying where across the world we need to be focusing our eyes.” Researchers found that mandatory measures to reduce collisions, including introducing the scientifically backed safe speed limit of under 10 knots (19 kilometers per hour or 12 miles per hour), or closing…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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South Africa Today – Environment
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