The WhaleReport Alert System: Mitigating threats to whales with citizen science

Abstract

Ship strikes are a pervasive threat to cetaceans globally. Real-time observations of cetaceans reported by citizen scientists unlock an opportunity to develop ship strike mitigation tools. The Ocean Wise Sightings Network (OWSN) is an example of a long-running and expansive citizen science program. The OWSN curates sightings data collected by coastal communities, mariners, and tourists into a database that can be utilized to monitor the 23 cetacean species inhabiting British Columbia and Washington State waters. Recently, the OWSN mobilized real-time sightings data into a mitigation tool, the WhaleReport Alert System (WRAS), which alerts professional mariners to the presence of cetaceans within their vicinity, allowing them to take action (e.g., slow down or divert course), to mitigate the risk of ship strike. The success of the WRAS (550 registered users) can be largely attributed to outreach events conducted in coastal communities which recruit new observers who report sightings to the WhaleReport app. Partnering with mariners to develop the WRAS has resulted in its continued support from and use by marine industry. We highlight the critical role of a sightings network for mitigating threats to cetaceans, emphasize the need to collaborate with marine industry, non-governmental, and government bodies to support endorsement of the tool, and stress the importance of metrics to evaluate success of the WRAS. This approach taken by Ocean Wise has resulted in the delivery of >20,000 WRAS alerts and is a framework which could be integrated into existing sightings networks globally to mitigate the risk of ship strikes on cetaceans.