Photo: Members of L pod on November 30, 2024. Photo credit: Marla Smith via Orca Network.
The initiative aims to support endangered Southern Resident killer whale populations by reducing underwater noise from ships that negatively affects communication and hunting behaviors. The slowdown will begin on September 14, 2025 after the Southern Resident killer whales were confirmed in Admiralty Inlet on September 13. It will end on January 11, 2026. The 2024-2025 Voluntary Commercial Vessel Slowdown reduced underwater noise by 35% in the sound frequencies used by killer whales for communication. Southern Resident killer whales were present for the majority of the days the slowdown was in effect.
SEATTLE, Washington – September 13, 2025 – Quiet Sound, a collaborative program of Maritime Blue dedicated to reducing commercial vessel impacts on the endangered Southern Resident killer whales announces the official launch of its voluntary vessel slowdown season beginning today through early 2026.
The effort protects the remaining 74 Southern Resident killer whales. The start of the commercial vessel showdown was triggered as Southern Resident killer whales were reported in the waters off of Seattle on the morning of September 13. The slowdown remains in effect through January 11, 2026, key months for their migration.
Container vessels, vehicle carriers, and cruise ships are asked to voluntarily slow to 14.5 knots speed through water, while general cargo, tankers and bulkers are asked to slow to 11 knots in an area 22 nautical miles long through Admiralty Inlet and north Puget Sound (see map).
“Underwater noise from large vessels is one of the major factors threatening the recovery of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales.” said Rachel Aronson, Quiet Sound Program Director. “Our voluntary slowdown continues to be a safe and feasible action commercial vessels can take to immediately reduce their underwater noise.”
66% piloted transits reduced their speed when transiting to or from Seattle and Tacoma ports. This represents the largest absolute number of transits to reduce their speed (571) of any Quiet Sound slowdown.
56% of the transits achieved the proposed speed targets.
Median broadband sound levels were reduced by 12%, and noise intensity was reduced by 35% in frequencies used by killer whales to communicate.
Southern Resident killer whales were present in the slowdown area for at least 57 days of the 98-day slowdown, more than any slowdown season to date.
“In 2023, Quiet Sound began utilizing a dynamic start, in which the slowdown went into effect after the Southern Resident killer whales were confirmed in Puget Sound,” said Todd Hass, Special Assistant to the Director at Puget Sound Partnership and member of the Quiet Sound Leadership Committee. “In the 2024-25 season, the whales were present for over half the days the slowdown was in effect. This approach helps maximize a quieter environment when the endangered orcas are utilizing their Puget Sound habitat while minimizing impacts to maritime trade.”
The success of the 2025-26 slowdown will be measured through noise reduction estimation, data from mariners and AIS, and whale reporting from Orca Network.
“At MSC we are deeply committed to solutions that protect our planet and marine ecosystems, including voluntary vessel slowdown initiatives,” said Matthew Harris, Port Operations Manager with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). “We are proud to contribute to the successes achieved with Quiet Sound. Only through collective action can we address the world’s most complex conservation challenges and create both an immediate and lasting impact.”
MSC achieved a 94% participation rate in the Quiet Sound slowdown for the second year in a row. In recognition of MSC’s contribution, Quiet Sound awarded the company a Certificate of Recognition.
Quiet Sound will host a briefing on October 20 during One Ocean Week for press, elected officials, and executives of the organizations on the Quiet Sound Leadership Committee to release real time data of this year’s slowdown.
About Quiet Sound
Quiet Sound is a collaborative alliance that aims to reduce the impact of large commercial vessels on Southern Resident killer whales through voluntary measures. It is implementing noise-reduction initiatives, educational campaigns and monitoring programs in the Puget Sound, in coordination with Canadian and United States authorities. Quiet Sound is administered by Maritime Blue, a strategic alliance to accelerate a sustainable and equitable blue economy. News and updates can be found on the Quiet Sound website: https://quietsound.org/. The Quiet Sound team can be reached at info@quietsound.org.
Sara’s graduate thesis research sought to understand the factors that motivate container ship participation in the Quiet Sound voluntary vessel slowdown, given that container ships account for the majority of vessel transits and are the largest contributor of anthropogenic underwater noise among target vessels. The goal of this research is to inform and improve program design and engagement with the shipping industry to increase the impact of the slowdown. This qualitative case study developed an analytical framework to understand the impact of various factors on motivation to participate, including: Program characteristics, information sharing and exchange, operational factors, external influences, and intrinsic values. Sustainability reports and websites of 18 shipping lines calling Puget Sound ports, 6 vessel agents, the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma and the Northwest Seaport Alliance were analyzed. Key informant interviews were conducted with representatives from: Shipping lines, a shipping association, pilotage authority, the ECHO program, the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, and the Northwest Seaport Alliance. Findings offer insights into motivations to participate and recommendations for voluntary slowdowns.
Sara presented this research at the GreenTech 2025 conference on a panel titled, ‘Whisper on the Waves: Noise Monitoring & Quieter Marine Technologies’, alongside Jesse Spence of Noise Control Engineering and Nicholas Gagliano of Sofar Ocean, which was moderated by Miako Ushio from the Shipping Federation of Canada.
To read the Executive Summary, click here. To access the entire thesis, click here.
Seattle, WASHINGTON (July 14, 2025) – Maritime Blue is proud to announce that AltaGas | ALA Energy has made a $100,000 donation to the Quiet Sound program, a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to protecting the endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) in the Salish Sea.
This donation, building on their ongoing sponsorship and participation in the program, marks a significant investment in the preservation of critical orca habitat at a time when this species risks extinction. Quiet Sound, a program housed at Maritime Blue, brings together tribal governments, state and federal agencies, scientific researchers, nonprofits, and maritime industry leaders to reduce the impact of underwater noise on SRKWs.
“With this donation, AltaGas is demonstrating their commitment to the marine ecosystem,” said Rachel Aronson, Quiet Sound Program Director. “AltaGas and the Quiet Sound coalition are improving our ability to detect whales in real-time, alert mariners to their presence, implement programs to reduce vessel impact, and advance the latest research on vessel quieting technology.”
The Southern Resident killer whales rely on sound to hunt, navigate, and communicate. Underwater noise and proximity of commercial vessels can interfere with these essential behaviors. AltaGas’ support will help Quiet Sound continue and build on regionally-tailored programs and research helping endangered whales coexist alongside a thriving maritime economy.
“With AltaGas’ support, we are making a difference to quiet SRKW habitat and alert mariners to whale presence,” Aronson added. “By diminishing underwater noise, we’re safeguarding the Southern Residents’ acoustic habitat. Improved orca echolocation and communication means better hunting and mating opportunities, empowering these endangered creatures to thrive.”
“At AltaGas, we are committed to being a responsible and engaged partner in the communities where we live and operate.,” said Andrea McNamara Doyle, AltaGas’ External Affairs and Tribal Relations Manager for Washington State. “We are proud to support Quiet Sound and their work in protecting Southern Resident killer whales and advancing sustainable maritime practices in Washington’s waters. This donation reflects our belief that industry and environmental stewardship can move forward together—through innovation, collaboration, and a shared commitment to preserving the ecosystems that sustain us all.”
Paralleling their investment in Quiet Sound, AltaGas is also taking on a leadership role in the Maritime Blue Sustainable Marine Fuels Collaborative to accelerate the availability, affordability, and deployment of sustainable maritime fuels, low and zero emission vessels, and related technologies in the Pacific Northwest through a lens of equitable prosperity towards net zero emissions by 2050.
Seattle, WA. July 15, 2024: Whale detections from a popular Puget Sound whale sightings network now feed into a transboundary alert system, dramatically increasing commercial mariner awareness of nearby whales.
The Whale Report Alert System (WRAS), is a free app available for commercial mariners. It sends real-time alerts to mariners when they are within 10 nautical miles of a confirmed whale. With this information, mariners can alter their course or slow their speeds to reduce their impact on whales.
WRAS was developed and is operated by the global conservation organization, Ocean Wise. Until recently, most whale sightings reported to WRAS were from Canada, with relatively few in Washington waters, mainly from Washington State Ferries.
Connecting a popular whale sightings network to the alert system
Orca Network, a Washington State non-governmental organization, manages a popular whale sighting network in Puget Sound and throughout the endangered Southern Resident killer whale’s range. Whale sightings are collected through Facebook, phone and email.
“Orca Network utilizes a network of citizen scientists, staff, volunteers, organizations, and agencies to collect whale sightings through a collaborative community effort. The success of the Whale Sighting Network relies on these cooperative relationships,” says Rachel Haight, Whale Sightings Network Co-Coordinator at Orca Network.
Sightings are vetted by Orca Network staff and other experts and submitted into digital mapping systems built by Conserve.io.
“Puget Sound is part of the critical habitat for endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Orca Network’s Whale Sighting Network documents their movement and behavior in this area, which informs management decisions and conservation efforts like Quiet Sound,” says Serena Tierra, Whale Sightings Network Co-Coordinator at Orca Network.
Quiet Sound, a Washington Maritime Blue program focused on reducing impacts of commercial shipping on the endangered Southern Resident killer whales, has been working since 2021 to improve the usability of WRAS for mariners transiting WA waters. Quiet Sound worked with Orca Network, Ocean Wise, and the Acartia data cooperative to support the creation of a technical connection and process for sending Orca Network data to WRAS.
“Puget Sound is lucky to not only have so many passionate community scientists dedicated to observing whale presence, but organizations like Orca Network who verify and record that data. We knew that if we could bring these whale sightings into WRAS, it would become immediately more relevant for Washington professional mariners”, says Rachel Aronson, Program Director at Quiet Sound.
To plug Orca Network’s sightings into the alert system, Ocean Wise developed a new API for WRAS. Open-source developers with Acartia, led by Ali Alayrus, connected the local sightings network to WRAS via the Acartia data cooperative.
“Acartia is a decentralized data cooperative designed for sharing locations of marine mammals in the Salish Sea, and from California to Alaska. Through its public API, Acartia provides open access to real-time and archived data collected by community scientists for end users in Washington, and now in Canada, as well.” says Scott Veirs, President of Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability.
Exponential increase in sightings and alerts to mariners
Since integrating Orca Network’s data in October 2023, there has been an exponential increase in sightings and subsequent alerts to mariners. More than 75% of whale sightings submitted from Washington to WRAS in April 2024 came from Orca Network via Acartia. In April, 467 sightings from Washington state led to 1500 alerts, a 1000% increase from last April (one whale sighting can lead to multiple alerts if multiple commercial mariners are in the area).
“This is a fantastic example of transboundary collaboration – multiple partners came together to provide mariners transiting between Washington and Canada with a seamless notification experience,” says Alex Mitchell, Whale Report Alert System Manager at Ocean Wise.
It’s important to note that WRAS is only available to professional mariners. Mariners can email WRAS@ocean.org to apply for approval to download the app and receive real-time alerts from WRAS.
Future collaborations might connect other local whale sightings networks in other parts of Washington.
June is Orca Action Month
Members of the public are encouraged to participate in their local sightings networks, such as Orca Network, and listen to detect whales live underwater on orcasound.net.
Quiet Sound’s Second Annual Voluntary Commercial Vessel Slowdown Kicks Off to Protect Migrating Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales in Puget Sound
The initiative aims to support Southern Resident killer whale populations by reducing ambient underwater noise that negatively affects communication and hunting behaviors
The slowdown period began when the Southern Resident killer whales were detected in the area. It will end on January 12, 2024
New report showcases results of inaugural 2022-2023 Voluntary Commercial Shipping Slowdown trial reduced underwater noise intensity by almost half (~3db) in the Slowdown zone
SEATTLE – October 12, 2023 – Quiet Sound, a collaborative program from Washington Maritime Blue dedicated to fostering a more sustainable environment for Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) through reduction in underwater noise pollution announces the official launch of its voluntary vessel slowdown season beginning today through early 2024.
The effort protects the remaining 74 Southern Resident killer whales in the Salish Sea. The start of the commercial vessel showdown was triggered as Southern Residentkiller whales were reported in the waters off of Seattle on the morning of October 12th. The slowdown period remains in effect through January 12, 2024, key months for their migration.
Container vessels, vehicle carriers, and cruise ships are asked to voluntarily slow to 14.5 knots, while tankers and bulkers are asked to slow to 11 knots in an area 22 nautical miles long through Admiralty Inlet and north Puget Sound (see map).
“We know this reduction in large vessel speed translates to potentially life-saving noise mitigation for Southern Resident killer whales. Slower speeds curb noise in the same frequencies these endangered animals use to communicate and hunt,” said Rachel Aronson, Quiet Sound Program Director. “We learned last season that we picked the right time of year and right location for the slowdown. We appreciate our maritime partners for their eagerness to participate last season and hope for even greater participation this Slowdown season.”
The results of the 2022-2023 Voluntary Commercial Shipping Showdown trial show:
70% of 670 vessels passing through the slowdown area decreased their speed
53% of the transits achieved the proposed speed targets
Median broadband sound levels were reduced by 2.8 decibels, a 45% reduction in sound intensity
Southern Resident killer whales were present in the slowdown area for 36 days of the 80-day slowdown (45%)
“We appreciate Quiet Sound championing an effort that we all care about, and that we as shippers transiting through the Puget Sound can support and participate,” said Capt. Yuki Ebina from MOL (Americas) LLC, who operated shipping vessels through the Slowdown zone last season. “The ocean and its habitat is our collective responsibility.”
This 2023-2024 Slowdown will be monitored using a system of hydrophones, data from mariners, and whale reporting from Orca Network, with a participation goal of more than 80% this season.
“The existence and well-being of the Makah people have always been closely tied to our relationship with the natural environment, especially the ocean,” said Vice Chairman of the Makah Tribal Council Chad Bowechop. “The Makah Tribe is pleased to be on the Leadership Committee guiding these vessel slowdowns and looks forward to continued involvement with the Quiet Sound Program.”
Quiet Sound will host a briefing in December for press, elected officials, and executives of the organizations on the Quiet Sound Leadership Committee to release real time data of this year’s Slowdown.
Quiet Sound recently received the North American Marine Environmental Protection Agency (NAMEPA) Non-profit award for 2023 and NOAA’s 2023 Partner in the Spotlight Award for its work to protect the Southern Resident killer whales.
About Quiet Sound
Quiet Sound is a collaborative alliance that aims to reduce the impact of large commercial vessels on Southern Resident killer whales through voluntary measures. It is implementing noise-reduction initiatives, educational campaigns and monitoring programs in the Puget Sound, in coordination with Canadian and United States authorities. Quiet Sound is administered by Washington Maritime Blue, a strategic alliance to accelerate a sustainable and equitable blue economy. News and updates can be found on the Quiet Sound website: https://quietsound.org/.
Winning Teams Announced for Competition to Detect Southern Resident Killer Whales and North Atlantic Right Whales from Moving Vessels
SEATTLE, WA (June 20, 2023) – Quiet Sound, a collaborative program among government agencies, the shipping industry, the U.S. military, tribal groups, and the scientific community working to reduce noise and physical impacts to endangered Southern Resident killer whales from large commercial vessels, announces the winners of the Autonomous Detection of Marine Mammals challenge.
One pillar of the Quiet Sound program is to support a market for new developments in vessel quieting and whale sensing technologies. Quiet Sound had the opportunity to collaborate with the federal government on a technical challenge that will lead to the development of a whale sensing system for vessels underway, applicable for both crewed and autonomous vessels. This project and prizes were funded by the federal government. The recipients of this prize challenge demonstrated strong initiative, creativity, and drive to protect Southern Resident killer whales and North Atlantic right whales. Quiet Sound was excited to see the enthusiastic response to the challenge, as it showed positive engagement by the private sector in whale sensing.
Quiet Sound Program Director, Rachel Aronson, was the Lead Evaluator for the challenge. “Working with scientists from the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the US to evaluate challengers from around the world has been incredibly rewarding. The collaboration between private sector innovators, academic researchers, and government agencies is critical to finding new solutions for protecting our marine ecosystems. I’m thrilled to see the initiative and creativity that everyone brought to the table, and I believe this challenge has planted the seeds for future public-private partnerships that will drive safer waters for Southern Resident killer whales and North Atlantic right whales. Maritime Blue is excited to provide the winners with business development support, increasing sustainability and diversity in the maritime sector.”
About the Winners
First Place: UnCruise Adventures Team UnCruise Adventures is a small ship cruise line dedicated to sustainable adventures. The cruise line’s winning vessel-mounted design solution combined below-water acoustic sensors, above-water infrared sensors and a data collection system. The team included Dave Boyce, UnCruise Adventures Solutions Engineer, Joe Olson of Cetacean Research Technology and Dean Allen of Small PC.
UnCruise has whimsically named their new infrared camera SQD2. Image provided by Uncruise.
The new platform, including a FLIR M400 premium multi-sensor marine thermal camera, was recently installed on the Safari Quest, a 22-passenger vessel that sails in Coastal Washington and Alaska for UnCruise Adventures. Its first passenger sailing and live whale detection test with cruise passengers aboard began April 28th, 2023. Further sea trials will be conducted in Fall 2023.
2nd Place: Deep Voice, Sea to Shore Systems and Open Ocean Robotics Team Deep Voice, Sea to Shore Systems and Open Ocean Robotics submitted a detailed solution to the challenge comprising four technological layers: shore based long baseline systems, shore based short baseline systems, autonomous surface vehicle mounted systems and drifter buoy mounted hydrophone array. The solution combined use of hydrophones and above water cameras for automated detection of whales, along with vocalizations detection software.
The novel portion of the solution was the integration of proven technologies from three organizations that creates a flexible vessel strike warning system capable of achieving a very wide area coverage, 24 hours a day with greatly reduced labor and operational costs.
Diagram of second-place solution provided by Deep Voice Foundation
Deep Voice is a NGO that aims to ensure the welfare of marine mammal populations by utilizing AI tools, making them easily accessible for biologists and conservationists worldwide. The team background is diverse, and ranges from computer scientists and engineers to marine biologists. Currently, the NGO works on five different projects in different countries: Brazil, Costa-Rica, Colombia, Mozambique and Belize. Their current focus is to implement state-of-the-art automated detection and classification algorithms based on acoustic data annotations for the sake of conservation. Recently, they were accepted into the AI for Good Microsoft Accelerator, as one of the 14 chosen companies.
Special Student Commendation: Jay Desai, WhaleSense The evaluators felt that WhaleSense deserved a special commendation, as the solver is a college student working solo. This proposal compared favorably with many proposals by well-resourced professional teams especially given the resources available to the solver. Evaluators were impressed with Jay’s creativity and ingenuity. Jay tested the IR camera on people (lacking actual whales) and built hydrophones from parts and tested them in a nearby waterfall (lacking ocean access). We believe Jay could have a promising career in marine mammal sensing, and wished to recognize this achievement with a special award.
