The JRC is working in a system to map the risk of ship strike with endangered whales

The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has merged data on daily traffic data and with information on which habitats are favourable to fin whales favourable habitats to produce maps of potential risk of strike. While the Mediterranean Sea is a major forage ground for the endangered fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) it also represents 30% of all international maritime traffic concentrated within only 0.8% of the global ocean surface.

The Joint Research Centre has merged data on daily traffic data and with information on which habitats are favourable to fin whales favourable habitats to produce maps of potential risk of strike, in order to investigate the impact of maritime corridors in the open sea. Besides mapping the potential risk of ship strike, the JRC’s work highlights the feasibility of future operational mitigation systems. In November 2012, the European Environmental Agency reported that significant work is still ahead despite the increase in protected natural areas.

According to the JRC, the proposed method of combining potential habitat and maritime traffic data provides an added value for policy-makers. For instance, the daily product of potential habitats could be used in a near real-time system on board of large vessels to increase awareness of the risk of collisions. They can also be used as complementary data to the developing real-time plotting systems of cetaceans.

Researchers also propose to install moored acoustic buoys along vessel corridors that transmit information about the whales' position to the vessels in real-time, allowing them to adapt their speed when passing prime habitats. Mitigation measures would also consist in reducing vessel speed when prime habitat conditions occur. The JRC stressed that further research is needed to investigate whether traffic noise induces an effective loss of habitat for fin whales.