Why canada is making it harder to watch whales nationalgeographic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalgeographic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The smartWhales program relies on industry collaboration
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whale species. (Photo: NOAA)
March 4, 2021
The endangered North Atlantic right whale faces many hazards habitat loss, shipping traffic and strikes, pollution and a decreasing population but a new program has given five companies funding to help combat these dangers.
Under the smartWhales initiative, the federal government is investing $5.3 million to companies working on innovative solutions to boost Canada’s ability to detect and monitor the presence of these whales in Canadian waters and predict their movements.
“We divided the call into two streams,” says Steve Iris, manager of applications and utilization at the Canadian Space Agency, about the initial request for proposals. “One was to improve accuracy of detection and monitoring, and one was to improve predictions and modelling.”
It was a memorable finale to a day out on the Atlantic: a four-metre whale calf gliding past the boat as the divers returned to the Spanish island of El Hierro in the Canaries. Their incredible luck, however, would be made clear hours later, as researchers around the world clamoured for more details after seeing the 47-second video of the encounter online. The divers had unwittingly stumbled across a North Atlantic right whale – one of the.
The new humpback? Calf sighting sparks hope for imperilled right whale msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski
Develop a system that will provide near-real-time information about the forecasted presence of North Atlantic right whales and potential risks of encountering a vessel.
$899,582
Quotes
“Satellite data is a critical and powerful tool bringing innovative solutions to the many challenges on Earth. By bringing together the top Canadian minds and satellite data, the smartWhales initiative will explore new techniques to further detect, monitor, and ultimately protect the North Atlantic right whale in Canadian waters.”
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“The North Atlantic right whale is endangered and we must take every step possible to save them. The smartWhales initiative is investing in innovative companies and projects that will enhance our ability to detect and monitor these whales, helping protect them against vessel collisions and fishing gear entanglements in our waters. B