How a group tracking sounds beneath Bay Area waters hopes to protect whales from shipping lanes

Fog clings to the Golden Gate swallowing the booming horns of cargo ships as they attempt to warn other vessels of their presence Onboard a small research vessel nearby underwater microphones called hydrophones are lowered beneath the surface along with other sensors ready to capture the hidden choir of San Francisco Bay whales Ray Duran founder of BayQuest the nonprofit behind this mission peers through his binoculars scanning for ripples or shadows that might reveal one A container ship moves towards the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif BayQuest s SeaSounds Project will examination the impacts of vessel interactions on the vocalization and behaviors of local whale populations Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group This is a typical mission for the Aquarium of the Bay s research vessel Mike Reigle home to the SeaSounds Project The project which began its first missions in June uses hydrophones to monitor how ship noise affects whales in one of the West Coast s busiest waterways The end aim is to show that they are impacted by the sound reported Firuze Gocke co-creator of the project and board member of the American Cetacean Society The noise is really influencing every part of their life and making it complex Despite a dramatic rise in whale deaths in the Bay Area with already surpassing any year in the past-quarter century acoustic monitoring of marine mammals in and around the Bay remains limited The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains a hydrophone in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Point Reyes and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute MBARI operates one in Monterey Bay But the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific coast around the Golden Gate lacks dedicated whale monitoring Related Articles -pound bear settles in beneath an California home thwarting creative efforts to move him out Coho salmon discovered in Sonoma Coast creek for first time in years Meet the distinctive moon snail lurking along the California coast Man arrested on suspicion of poaching abalone on Sonoma Coast Salmon returning to Bay Area creek for first time in years could be sign of environmental renewal to come The SeaSounds Project was created to address this blind spot Amid the rumble of passing ships the gang tunes into the hidden world of whales documenting the vocalizations that reveal their migrations feeding habits and social behavior all in the name of helping them avoid disturbances from ships Duran calls the SeaSounds Project crew a ragtag organization of scientists and captains just getting out there and making a difference The group has grown into an extensive setup over the past year but the idea was sparked from an matter years ago when Duran spent his days guiding whale-watching tours in the waters surrounding the Farallon Islands On one trip in after spotting several whales passengers were thrilled to see a humpback surface just feet from the boat The moment of awe briskly soured when a nearby fishing vessel cruised directly over the whale its lines and hooks dragging through the water Passengers were outraged Amid the chaos an elderly woman turned to Duran I still recall her face and her eyes when she required Isn t there anything we can do he remembered That question stayed with him Years later BayQuest was born as his answer to the woman s question We re doing something about it now he commented What began as a conversation between Duran and Gocke reflecting on that occurrence has evolved into a collaboration with a range of organizations including marine science and acoustics experts from institutions such as Cal Maritime Academy and MBARI as well as conservation groups like Ocean Conservation Research and Point Blue Conservation Science Key to the effort is BayQuest s early adoption of Spotter Sound an AI-enabled monitor developed by Sofar Ocean of San Francisco This compact solar-powered sensor floats on the surface recording underwater sounds tracking vessel noise and monitoring environmental conditions in real time Dan Breyre head of product for Sofar explained BayQuest is taking an innovative approach to this kind of research The way in which they re deploying is a little bit different than selected of the other people that are using our system he revealed Traditionally hydrophones are stationary and moored for months before their information is retrieved The SeaSounds Project however takes an opportunistic approach anchoring the boat and lowering equipment into the water or sometimes towing a hydrophone behind the vessel The statistics is instantly sent to the BayQuest company and then to senior noise analyst Dimitri Ponirakis for deeper analysis while Sofar scientists use the same information to refine their innovation The Sofar crew brings expertise in ocean sensing while the SeaSounds Project contributes marine mammal science creating what Breyre called a cool symbiotic relationship Maintaining and refining the tool is no easy task I am continually impressed with how hard it is to keep things working in the ocean milieu The ocean s a really hard space I ve never worked in space but I hear sending things to the bottom of the ocean is much harder Sofar mechanical engineer Nick Buemond mentioned Corrosion pressure waves and even curious seals pose constant challenges BayQuest director Ray Duran works aboard the research vessel Mike Reigle on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif BayQuest s SeaSounds Project will scrutiny the impacts of vessel interactions on the vocalization and behaviors of local whale populations Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group A container ship moves past acoustic monitoring equipment in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif BayQuest s SeaSounds Project will survey the impacts of vessel interactions on the vocalization and behaviors of local whale populations Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group BayQuest director Ray Duran makes wildlife observations from atop a research boat on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif BayQuest s SeaSounds Project will review the impacts of vessel interactions on the vocalization and behaviors of local whale populations Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group Buoys mark underwater acoustic monitoring equipment off the stern of the research vessel Mike Reigle as the captain makes wildlife observations on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif BayQuest s SeaSounds Project will examination the impacts of vessel interactions on the vocalization and behaviors of local whale populations Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group BayQuest director Ray Duran listens to audio from a hydrophone in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif BayQuest s SeaSounds Project will evaluation the impacts of vessel interactions on the vocalization and behaviors of local whale populations Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group Underwater acoustic monitoring equipment aboard the research vessel Mike Reigle on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif BayQuest s SeaSounds Project will review the impacts of vessel interactions on the vocalization and behaviors of local whale populations Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group BayQuest director Ray Duran right works with Aquarium of the Bay staff members to record underwater sounds in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif BayQuest s SeaSounds Project will inquiry the impacts of vessel interactions on the vocalization and behaviors of local whale populations Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group Pelicans fly over San Francisco Bay on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group Show Caption of BayQuest director Ray Duran works aboard the research vessel Mike Reigle on Tuesday Nov near San Francisco Calif BayQuest s SeaSounds Project will examination the impacts of vessel interactions on the vocalization and behaviors of local whale populations Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group Expand This real-time acoustic material is paired with ocean chemistry readings and meticulous human observation Once we deploy the hydrophone we start the timing because our aim is to get our details for minutes Gocke declared As the clock runs the group logs everything birds skimming the surface vessels passing by anything that moves or makes a sound It s quiet focused work For Gocke time on the boat feels like being on top of a mountain The immediate aim is to create a comprehensive map of whale migration and gathering areas in and around San Francisco Bay using AI to identify where dangerous overlaps with shipping lanes could occur But the ultimate goal is what Duran calls an acoustic superhighway with multiple sensors running along the West Coast Their vision draws inspiration from East Coast programs that use near real-time acoustic detection to alert vessels to nearby whales as well as the Protecting Blue Whales Blue Skies initiative which encourages ships to reduce speeds in the Santa Barbara Channel off Southern California Duran also hopes to engage the citizens as citizen scientists and inspire stewardship for the Bay s biodiversity Naturally we love what we do We want to share the magic of the bay and the magic of all the wildlife especially with young people who can now make a difference he noted For more information about the SeaSounds Project or to get involved contact Ray Duran at ray bayquest org