The Whale and Vessel Safety Taskforce won the Marine Research Hub Innovation & Sustainability Award, which recognizes companies leading in marine innovation and environmental stewardship. The award was handed out during the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
Formed in late 2022, the WAVS Taskforce is a Viking Marine Group initiative with leading industry partners to advance technology that reduces vessel strikes with North Atlantic right whales and other marine life. WAVS operates a 24-foot Contender research boat equipped with advanced detection systems, radar and AI classification software to collect real-world data on vessel speed, detection and avoidance.
A 2022 NOAA proposal would have rewritten the existing 2008 vessel speed rule, extending 10-knot limits to all boats 35 feet and larger from Cape Cod, Mass., to northern Florida, up to 100 miles offshore, for as much as seven months a year. The proposal was withdrawn in January. The 2008 10-knot rule remains in place, applying to vessels 65 feet and larger within smaller, seasonal management areas along the Eastern Seaboard.
“WAVS stood out for education, outreach and convening industry stakeholders around a critical environmental challenge,” said Katherine O’Fallon, executive director of Marine Research Hub. “Viking’s leadership has raised awareness and gathered actionable data for boating and conservation efforts.”
The WAVS Taskforce continues to make tangible progress in developing and quantifying tools that reduce the risk of vessel strikes and provide greater situational awareness. The marine industry, working through WAVS, has stepped up to accelerate the development of tools that address the conservation needs of the right whale while better accommodating the operational needs of boaters.
“We’re working on utilizing technology for better detection of whales and objects in the water — technology that helps improve safety for whales and mariners alike,” said John DePersenaire, Viking Marine Group’s director of government affairs and sustainability.
Taskforce members and collaborators include Viam, Garmin, Yamaha, Brunswick, FLIR, BRNKL, Simard, Motion Information Systems, Atlantic Marine Electronics, Fathom Science, Lookout, SEA.AI and the National Marine Electronics Association. Together, these partners are developing systems for real-time whale detection, data-sharing and vessel alerts to reduce collisions and improve safety.
