Killer whale spotted Saturday north of Orcas Island. (Photo: Robert Pollock)
Killer whale spotted north of Orcas Island. (Photo: Robert Pollock)
The newest J pod orca whale calf, J59, is a girl (Photo: Center for Whale Research)
K45 seen swimming in Puget Sound on Nov. 10 (Photo: Jami Cantrell / KOMO #SoNorthwest Photography)
A pair of orca whales swim in view of a state ferry crossing from Bainbridge Island toward Seattle in the Puget Sound on Oct. 29, 2013. A new University of Washington study of underwater noise finds that killer whales are bothered more by a fast boat than a large one or by a number of them in close proximity.
SEATTLE, WA (February 3, 2022) – Quiet Sound, a collaborative program working to reduce noise and physical impacts to endangered Southern Resident killer whales from large commercial vessels, announces the official launch of its initiatives and monitoring programs, with the first meeting of its Leadership Committee held on January 27.
Quiet Sound received its initial funding and began organizing for this official launch in 2021. Quiet Sound is the primary, collaborative initiative in Washington state addressing the impacts of noise on local whale populations. Their focus is on giving commercial mariners and large vessels the resources to join together in a voluntary effort to slow down, reducing underwater noise pollution and protecting the 73 Southern Resident killer whales in the Salish Sea.
“We are eager to quickly build momentum behind our noise-reduction initiatives and monitoring programs to create a win-win solution where ferries, cruise ships, large vessels, and others on the water can coexist with our resident whales and ensure the future of this endangered species,” said Rachel Aronson, Quiet Sound Program Director. “We have encouraging partnerships in the works touching every aspect of the maritime industry and collaborative programs we will continue to roll out throughout the year.”
Quiet Sound is working in partnership with the tribal governments, state and federal agencies, scientific researchers, nonprofits, and other maritime industry organizations to initiate an advanced whale alert system and vessel slow down initiative to protect one of the whale species’ most valuable assets: communication. Diminished underwater noise means improved orca communication, protecting their ability to hunt and mate – empowering the acutely endangered species to thrive.
“Southern Resident killer whales are a key indicator of the overall health of Puget Sound and an important part of the NWIFC member tribes’ cultures,” said Randy Lumper, Puget Sound Policy Analyst of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. “ We are excited to be part of the collaboration with Quiet Sound on this critical noise-reduction initiative in support of recovering our Southern Resident killer whales.”
“We’re excited to be part of the founding leadership of this initiative to reduce underwater noise to improve the environment for Southern Resident killer whales,” said Mike Moore of Pacific Merchant Shipping Association. “ Environmental stewardship is important to mariners who are willing to implement voluntary actions when there are measurable benefits. We also look forward to collaborating with our Canadian neighbors.”
Large vessels and vessel operations centers are asked to use the Whale Report Alert System, available as a mobile app or in a browser, providing real-time, geographically specific alerts of whale sightings. These alerts can enable vessels to take measures that are safe for humans and for the whales, such as slowing down, stopping, posting a lookout, or taking an alternate route. Quiet Sound is engaging Washington sightings networks to provide a more complete real-time picture of whale locations for mariners.
Immediate next steps for Quiet Sound include partnering with Oceans Initiative to engage Puget Sound boaters in underwater noise measurements and advising the Port of Seattle on a research initiative on what is needed to further develop Washington’s underwater noise sensing network. Quiet Sound will also partner with the U.S. Navy’s Northwest Tech Bridge on a technology challenge to support innovators in developing new onboard whale sensing capabilities for vessels underway.
By FOX 13 News Staff | Published February 1, 2022 1:05PM | Orcas | FOX 13 Seattle
SEATTLE – Scientists aboard the King County research vessel ‘SoundGuardian’ Tuesday deployed a buoy that will monitor underwater noise in Puget Sound – which poses risks to our southern resident orca population.
Orcas frequent the Sound during the winter to hunt chinook and chum salmon. The whales navigate the water and hunt using echolocation, which is where they make sounds and detect how quickly they bounce back, allowing them to judge how far away objects and prey are.
Underwater noise from commercial and recreational vessels make this very difficult.
The buoy technology was developed by SMRU Consulting, based out of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The organization is conducting similar research around the world, including the ECHO Program in British Columbia.
The SoundGuardian deployed the buoy, which allows SMRU Consulting to put together reports of orca sightings, which pilots of large vessels can use to determine if they need to slow down or change course, so they will not disrupt orcas.
“We’re grateful to King County for making the SoundGuardian available for this effort,” said SMRU Consulting managing director Jason Wood. “We hope the data generated by this pilot study will help inform long-standing recovery efforts by organizations such as NOAA, Quiet Sound, Orca Network, OrcaSound, the Whale Museum, OceanWise and others.”
This research supports the Quiet Sound Program created by the Southern Resident Orca Task Force in 2018. One of their primary objectives is to cut down the underwater noise from ships and ferries near orca populations.
“Our state-of-the-art research vessel is a valuable asset helping some of the world’s leading marine biologists work to protect southern resident orcas,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “The scientific research they produce will contribute to our collective mission to not only track the health of Puget Sound, but also ensure the survival of its marine life.”
See original post Here.
Welcome to the Quiet Sound website! We are excited to be part of the Southern Resident Killer Whale protection community. In addition to our brand new website, the year to come will begin the process of complementing and strengthening ongoing work and early actions to address underwater noise. In January we will have our first Leadership Committee where we will solidify our work groups and also begin the scheduling of those work group meetings and action plans. To learn more about our upcoming projects click here. To stay informed and follow the work of Quiet Sound and our work groups please visit us often or sign up for our mailing list here.