As the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) continues reviewing the ill-conceived proposed vessel speed rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), recent media coverage continues highlighting how advanced marine technologies can lessen the risk of vessel whale strikes.
The stories paint an optimistic picture, offering multiple solutions to the conservation challenge facing the endangered North Atlantic right whale population. The media coverage of the technologies is in stark contrast to NOAA’s proposed rule, which only offers a blanket speed restriction that has shown to be ineffective at protecting the whales, economically destructive, and dangerous to boater safety.
NOAA itself admitted during a March technology workshop that it has no way of measuring the effectiveness of its 2008 vessel speed rule, and yet the agency continues to move forward with expanding it. The tech workshop happened the same week that NOAA sent the proposed rule to OMB, dismaying the recreational boating and fishing community as the agency’s move signaled that no technological solutions discussed at the workshop could have been included in the draft rule.
The recreational boating and fishing communities continue to strongly advocate for the withdrawal of the rule and urge NOAA to consider alternative proposals that prioritize technology. NMMA and its industry partners have repeatedly reached out to lawmakers and regulators to educate them on the marine technologies available, including testifying before Congress; conducting multiple Congressional Boating Caucus briefings; meeting NOAA at the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show; hosting a marine technology showcase on Capitol Hill; and meeting with OMB.
Recent Media Coverage Profiles Advanced Marine Technologies
A June 30 article in Forbes explored how the LOOKOUT camera system can benefit boaters by detecting boats, debris, whales, and people in the water to ensure everyone’s safety.
“LOOKOUT’s sensing and data-sharing capability is what boats need today,” says Todd Tally, General Manager of Atlantic Marine Electronics. “Knowing when a nearby boat detects a floating log or a whale is a game-changer. Like Waze, it provides a network of lookout eyes on the water, ensuring everyone’s safety.”
“We’re living in an era where AI, augmented reality, and spatial computing are transforming navigation and safety,” said David Rose, CEO of LOOKOUT. “Boating should benefit from the same innovation we see in automotive and aerospace. LOOKOUT integrates AI tech with intuitive, beautiful, and beneficial software design, providing clarity especially in challenging conditions like low light, fog, and crowded harbors.”
A July 24 article by the Canadian outlet CBC reported on Whale Seeker’s AI technology to protect marine life from vessel strikes. Their AI technology helps detect and identify whales more efficiently and reliably. Notably, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is giving $850,000 to the group to develop a real-time whale detecting program to notify captains as soon as a whale is detected.
Antoine Gagné, chief technology officer with Whale Seeker, said this tool detects marine mammals 25 times faster than the human eye.
A July 21 OnboardOnline article highlighted FarSounder’s sonar system and its ability to help prevent whale strikes. FarSounder offers advanced forward-looking 3D sonar systems that allow ships to detect or ‘see’ underwater obstacles – including whales – in the water ahead of a vessel.
FarSounder founder and CEO Matthew Zimmerman said, “Tools such as our 3D forward-looking sonar, coupled with above-water sensors like radar and camera systems are crucial to ensuring that vessels can effectively avoid whale strikes.”
Technologies like these enable boaters to detect and monitor whales – and all marine life – more effectively and efficiently than the proposed vessel speed rule.
To learn more about the proposed rule, visit https://www.nmma.org/advocacy/noaa.
