In and effort to reduce ship-whale strikes, researchers at the Institute of Oceans Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada are using satellite technology to try to find out more about why whales are coming into contact with big ships.
Their Whales, Habitat and Listening Experiment is underway off the west coast of Vancouver Island right now. Researcher Tetjana Ross says, "this info can be communicated to the fleet to ship Captains so they can then slow down and avoid areas where Baline whales are."
This project has led to two new discoveries; previously unknown right whale habitat in the Gulf of St Lawrence and the presence of right whales and other endangered whales on the Scotian Shelf well into December.
Researchers have also discovered the "Sei" whale off the BC Coast, Its the third-largest after the blue whale and the fin whale. There have been no sightings of Sei Whales off Canada’s Pacific coast since commercial whaling was halted in 1976.