People living along the British Columbia coast are offering up their private properties to house technology that can detect whales in hopes of protecting passing marine mammals.
Suzette Alvarez and Marshall Farris own oceanfront property near Halfmoon Bay on the Sunshine Coast, where a live camera was installed under the deck of their home in May 2024.
The camera is pointed towards the Malaspina Strait, and a hydrophone was dropped into the ocean at a depth of 20 meters, picking up the underwater noise of ships and animals.
“These animals are precious. They are magnificent… and we have to do everything we can to protect them,” Alvarez said.
Three humpback whales in recent weeks were killedand one injured in a ship strike on the British Columbia coast.
Alvarez is part of a group of British Columbians who are implementing technology that could help detect the whales and potentially provide protection, scientists say.
The Raincoast Conservation Foundation, a nonprofit group of conservationists and scientists, manages and collects the camera and hydrophone data.
According to Valeria Vergara, a scientist at the foundation, the technology is the first of its kind in the area.
“That's something that's really needed there… that area is really undersampled acoustically,” Vergara said.
Their research focuses on monitoring the presence of at-risk marine mammal species by tracking their vocalizations and how they are affected by noise levels from boats and other human activities.
“Over the last few decades, underwater noise has become a real, real problem,” she said. “Noise travels very, very well in water and about four to five times faster than in air.”
Two separate British Columbia homeowners are doing their part to protect marine mammals. As Alanna Kelly reports, they use a variety of technologies that detect animals without disturbing them.
For humpback whales and killer whales, sound is how they communicate with each other and find prey.
“Hearing a humpback whale sing and then suddenly the sound of a boat drowning out the song is a really good way to get the general public and politicians to understand how dire the situation is,” Vergara said.
Southern resident killer whales are critically endangered, and noise pollution plays a big role, Vergara said.
“Noise pollution, as well as pollutants and lack of mining, are the three main reasons for their failure to recover,” she said.
Thermal camera detects whale strikes
Alvarez isn't the only one trying to do his part.
Chris Roper lives on Pender Island and has offered a location on his property for an infrared thermal imaging camera called the WhaleSpotter.
“There is a lot of work to be done to coexist with the sheer number of ships and marine mammals,” Roper said.
The cameras belong to the VSANECH Marine Guardians, who protect southern resident killer whales.
Using technology and cameras, caretakers monitor and protect animals in the Salish Sea.
Daniel Zitterbart, chief scientist at WhaleSpotter, explains how the camera and artificial intelligence are helping to protect whales by detecting their presence.
The thermal camera records the temperature difference from the whale strike in real time, and a person checks the alert within 30 seconds to a minute. Only verified information is returned to the operator.
“We currently have over 10 cameras distributed in British Columbia,” Zitterbart said.
“We now have a science-based solution that can provide very high levels of protection, and this can be done for all mammal species,” he added.
Roper's Pender Harbor property is located directly above a whale sanctuary where ships are prohibited from entering at certain times of the year.
The area is also a heavy traffic area for container ships, large ships and ferries.
“It does get noisy here, and you can see it in the hydrophones and the spectrum of noise coming out of the hydrophones,” Roper said.
Detection can be used to enforce speed limits.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientist Harald Jurk said all of these devices are useful tools, along with personal witnesses.
“This technology is one tool that can be used, but it is not a magic wand,” Yurk said. “It's a combination of all of those things.”
He suggests the technology could be used to impose a speed limit of 10 to 12 knots when animals are detected.
“At least when the whale gets hit by a boat, it will reduce the risk of it dying,” Yurk said.
Alvarez rents out her Sunshine Coast property for people to visit, and she hopes that because people can see and hear the whales, they will continue to care for her.
“It helps you feel like they are part of you, part of your ecosystem, part of what you want to protect,” Alvarez said.
