Reducing Vessel Noise to Improve Foraging Success of Southern Resident Killer Whales
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Speaker: Dr. Ruth Joy, SFU
Decadal-scale increases in underwater sound pressure levels from commercial vessels now pollute the echolocation frequency ranges that Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) depend on to hunt in the Salish Sea. Within a prey field already depleted by declines in their preferred prey, Chinook salmon, high ambient noise further reduces the viability of alternative prey such as sablefish and coho. Recent biologging results show that SKRW experience lower hunting success and may stop foraging altogether in high noise conditions. We show that most prey species become bioenergetically unprofitable under elevated noise conditions, effectively trapping SRKW on Chinook salmon as the only prey whose caloric return exceeds the acoustic cost of detection and capture. To address this predator–prey trap, we are building a near real‑time vessel slowdown system for commercial ships en route to the Port of Vancouver when SRKW are present in the Salish Sea. Our approach integrates automated infrared cameras, AI‑based detection algorithms, passive acoustic monitoring using hydrophones, trained networks of citizen scientists on both sides of the Canada–U.S. border, eNGO support, First Nation Marine Guardians, and, pending a forthcoming localization trial, fiber‑optic cable sensing. Together, these innovations enable the potential for a reactive management infrastructure that is designed to reduce vessel noise during critical foraging periods, directly mitigating an emerging form of human–wildlife conflict.
Dr. Ruth Joy is an Environmental Scientist with an academic background in Biology and Statistics. She works as a Marine Ecologist in the School of Environmental Science at Simon Fraser University. Her research sits at the intersection of ecology, statistics, and conservation, with a strong emphasis on using quantitative methods to inform marine conservation.
Decadal-scale increases in underwater sound pressure levels from commercial vessels now pollute the echolocation frequency ranges that Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) depend on to hunt in the Salish Sea. Within a prey field already depleted by declines in their preferred prey, Chinook salmon, high ambient noise further reduces the viability of alternative prey such as sablefish and coho. Recent biologging results show that SKRW experience lower hunting success and may stop foraging altogether in high noise conditions. We show that most prey species become bioenergetically unprofitable under elevated noise conditions, effectively trapping SRKW on Chinook salmon as the only prey whose caloric return exceeds the acoustic cost of detection and capture. To address this predator–prey trap, we are building a near real‑time vessel slowdown system for commercial ships en route to the Port of Vancouver when SRKW are present in the Salish Sea. Our approach integrates automated infrared cameras, AI‑based detection algorithms, passive acoustic monitoring using hydrophones, trained networks of citizen scientists on both sides of the Canada–U.S. border, eNGO support, First Nation Marine Guardians, and, pending a forthcoming localization trial, fiber‑optic cable sensing. Together, these innovations enable the potential for a reactive management infrastructure that is designed to reduce vessel noise during critical foraging periods, directly mitigating an emerging form of human–wildlife conflict.
Dr. Ruth Joy is an Environmental Scientist with an academic background in Biology and Statistics. She works as a Marine Ecologist in the School of Environmental Science at Simon Fraser University. Her research sits at the intersection of ecology, statistics, and conservation, with a strong emphasis on using quantitative methods to inform marine conservation.
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