Fisheries and Oceans Canada is the primary funder and the pilot is being done in
collaboration with the University of Erlangen in Germany and Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution in Massachusetts. The goal of the project is to determine if automated thermal
imaging technology, when used in combination with visual and acoustic detection, can be a
reliable and effective way to detect whales.

“As a stakeholder in the Salish Sea, BC Ferries has a responsibility to understand how our
activities may affect marine mammals in general and the Southern Resident Killer Whales in
particular,” said Mark Collins, BC Ferries’ President & CEO. “Our deck crews are always on the
lookout for marine mammals, and we voluntarily report sightings to the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network to help researchers gather information. We believe it is important to support research projects such as this one, as the marine community in general will benefit from these findings.”

Installed at Sturdies Bay in June, the cameras use temperature data to differentiate
between marine mammals, ships and the surrounding water, even at night. Thermal imaging
cameras are also in place near the international shipping lane in Boundary Pass, which separates the Southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia from the San Juan Islands in Washington State.

If the pilot is successful, the system could be used to alert ships to the presence of marine
mammals, such as endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) and humpbacks, in
narrow waterways in the Salish Sea, and identify high-risk areas so mariners can make real-time decisions to slow down or use avoidance tactics when whales are present.

“Our crews have standing permission to deviate away from whales at the captain’s
command when safe to do so. Vessels can also slow down, if deviation is not possible in
confined waters,” adds Collins. “We are committed to working with scientists and whale
researchers to identify new ways we can operate our ships to protect whales, while still meeting our obligations to the communities we serve.”