Quiet Sound

If you look closely, you can see the Orca killer whale that passed between our sailboat and the island above. An entire Orca pod, underwater, was swimming with it, too.

But we had no idea the Orca whales were there until whale-watching boats arrived.

As you can see, we were located far away from the Orcas (my camera was on full zoom). The whale watching boats were much closer to the Orca pod. So were their motors. Oh, the noise.

So I was relieved soon after when I discovered Quiet Sound, a program from Maritime Blue, which is helping to reduce the harm that killer whales face in these waters.

“Quiet Sound is staffed by Washington Maritime Blue. Our Leadership Committee is a coalition of government agencies, Tribes, NGOs, maritime industry, and ports, who collaborate to help maritime and killer whales thrive together. Our partners and advisors provide ssubject matter expertise in the development and execution of research, mitigation and management projects, and initiatives aimed at reducing threats to Southern Resident killer whales from large commercial vessels.”

Quiet Sound is making a meaningful difference in multiple ways. And a whole bunch of boats are joining in this effort to help save the killer whales.

Voluntary Vessel Slowdown

Quiet Sound has been implementing a voluntary vessel slowdown for ships that transit through the very waters we sailed past during the last two months.

“During the fall and winter, these killer whales swim, rest and forage for salmon in these waters. Underwater noise is identified by Canada and the United States as one of the main threats to killer whales due to its interference with their ability to hunt, navigate, and communicate.”

It’s incredible to learn how many large commercial vessels have been voluntarily reducing their speeds while transiting through the slowdown zone.

By doing so, large vessels have drastically reduced their underwater noise by up to 50%.

These quieter waters help the Orcas to better hear, communicate, and forage with their family. These quieter waters help the orcas survive.

Thermal Imaging

Quiet Sound has also been employing a new technology, called thermal imaging, to help monitor and detect whales, which is especially important in dark and poor weather.

This has allowed 24/7 monitoring for the purpose of protecting the killer whales.

The whales emit heat. The thermal cameras see the heat. Those images are then analyzed to identify individual whales and events.

Humans can be alerted. Whales can be saved.

When humans know where the whales are, humans can slow their ship speed, quiet their ship, and alter their course. Whales can then hear, communicate, forage, and survive.