An AI-powered whale detection network launched in the San Francisco Bay this week as scientists and maritime officials try to reduce deadly collisions between whales and ships in one of California’s busiest waterways.
The system, called WhaleSpotter, uses thermal imaging cameras and artificial intelligence to monitor whale activity around the clock. It detects whale blows and heat signatures from as far as 2 nautical miles away and sends alerts to ferry operators, cargo ships, and vessel traffic controllers.
Real-time alerts warn mariners
Researchers said trained marine mammal observers verify the detections before warnings are broadcast through marine radio systems and posted publicly on the Whale Safe website.
The network combines land-based and vessel-mounted monitoring systems. Scientists said it is the first setup in the San Francisco Bay to directly connect whale detections with official mariner alerts in near real time.
“It will also allow us to track data over time and see where the whales are camping out so we can adjust our routes during whale season to avoid those areas completely,” said Thomas Hall, director of operations for San Francisco Bay Ferry.
Gray whale deaths continue to rise
The project comes as gray whale deaths in the Bay Area continue to climb sharply. According to the Marine Mammal Center, 21 dead gray whales were found in the wider Bay Area last year, the highest annual total recorded in 25 years.
Researchers linked at least 40% of those deaths to ship strikes. At least 10 more gray whales have already died in the region this year.
Scientists believe the true number is likely much higher because many whale carcasses sink or drift back out to sea before they can be recovered.
Whales gather in busy shipping corridor
Gray whales migrate roughly 12,000 miles each year between breeding lagoons in Mexico and feeding grounds in the Arctic. But researchers said increasing numbers are now entering the San Francisco Bay and remaining inside the estuary for days or even weeks.
California rolls out WhaleSpotter, an AI network to curb rising whale fatalities from ship strikes as migration shifts under climate change reshape San Francisco Bay. pic.twitter.com/mnUuWUH4WR
— Azat TV (@azattelevision) May 20, 2026
Many whales are gathering in the busy shipping corridor between Angel Island, Alcatraz Island, and Treasure Island, directly overlapping with ferry routes and cargo traffic. “It’s the worst place possible in terms of all the ship traffic,” said Rachel Rhodes, a project scientist at the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory.
Researchers said the eastern North Pacific gray whale population has declined by roughly half over the past decade. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only about 13,000 whales remain.
Climate change alters whale behavior
A prolonged marine heat wave off the California coast has disrupted the cold, nutrient-rich waters where krill, anchovies, and sardines thrive. Researchers said warming Arctic waters and shrinking sea ice are also affecting the food web gray whales depend on during summer feeding seasons.
Scientists said many whales are now beginning migration in weaker physical condition because they struggle to find enough food. “They may not be getting the quality or quantity of food they’re used to in the Arctic,” Rhodes said. “That means they’re starting this incredibly long migration at a disadvantage.”
Researchers also said humpback whales are moving closer to shore as they follow prey into coastal waters.
Fishing gear creates new dangers
The movement of whales closer to the California coastline has increased risks from commercial fishing gear.
California’s Dungeness crab fishery uses thousands of vertical ropes connecting traps on the seafloor to floating surface buoys. Marine experts said the lines create major entanglement hazards for whales feeding and migrating along the coast.
“Humpbacks are curious and they’ll scratch their backs on the gear,” said Kathi George, director of cetacean conservation biology at the Marine Mammal Center. “If they get a line caught on their body, they’ll breach and they’ll roll and end up entangling themselves.”
According to NOAA, 36 whales were confirmed entangled along the U.S. West Coast in 2024, the highest annual total since 2018. Scientists said many more cases likely go undocumented.
California approves whale-safe technology
California regulators this spring approved commercial use of ropeless pop-up crab fishing systems for the first time. The technology keeps ropes and buoys stored on the seafloor until fishers trigger an acoustic release device that lifts the gear to the surface.
Supporters said the system could help fishers continue harvesting crab while sharply reducing risks to whales.
“We will have to continue to be adaptive and science driven in terms of our management to reduce wildlife risk and keep fishermen on the water,” said Caitlynn Birch, Pacific campaign manager and marine scientist at Oceana.
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