Wildwhales Temporary Site

The BC Cetacean Sightings Network collaborated with the Port of Vancouver and the Prince Rupert Port Authority to create the Mariners Guide to Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of Western Canada, which was distributed to the pilots of large commercial vessels.  This guide contains maps, created from sightings data, which show areas of high density based on each species’ known seasonal distribution and relative abundance. By reducing speed in areas where their vessels overlap with cetaceans, commercial mariners may decrease the probability of cetacean-vessel collision, as slower speeds increase the probability of detecting cetaceans and allow more time for the animal to avoid the oncoming vessel.  Furthermore, slower ships are often quieter, and decreasing speed in these high density areas will lessen the impacts of anthropogenic noise.