It’s a whale-tracking platform designed to bring the American people closer to the wildlife that populates their coastal waters while drawing attention to the threats faced by the biodiversity that lives on their backdoor step; Environment America has – at long last – launched its interactive whale-watching map.

With more than 25 whale species living in US coastal waters, each of them facing significant threats from human activity, the new interactive map provides what Environment America hopes will be a “user-friendly platform” for Americans to explore the whales in their neighbourhood.

“Whales come in all shapes and sizes, and these majestic creatures are deeply loved by many Americans,” said Environment America Research & Policy Centre Protect Our Oceans Campaign Director, Kelsey Lamp.

“But despite the awe whales inspire, most people aren’t aware of just how much danger they face every day. Our map gives people the opportunity to explore which species live off their coast and shows the unfortunate reality we must confront: that we will lose some of these special animals if we don’t do more to protect them.”

The online resource compiles data from the latest federal assessments to bring a clear picture of the whale populations along the US coastal waters. Alongside facts about each species’ size, lifespan, and behaviour, the platform also identifies which of the species are most at risk of death by things like entanglement and vessel strikes.

“Entanglement in commercial fishing gear and speeding vessels pose a severe threat to many of the whale species that call American waters home,” said Frontier Group Policy Associate, Nilou Yaar. “As we compiled the data to build our interactive map, it became clear that even the populations that have rebounded in recent years still must navigate the dangers we pose to their existence.”

The interactive resource includes a set of policy recommendations to limit human threats to whales, including the expansion of a programme to help the fishing sector transition to rople-less, whale-safe fishing gear; slowing down vessels in key habitats; and investing in enhanced data collecting and monitoring. 

Environment America has argued that enforcing existing protections under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act remains critical and that it will require “adequate funding and staffing” at both the state and federal levels.

One of the best-known species to be highlighted by the interactive map is the critically-endangered North Atlantic right whale, found to be living off the United States’ northeastern and southeastern coasts. 

This migratory species’ population is currently estimated at just 367 individuals. It’s estimated that on average, human causes – those mostly related to vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements – have killed around 15 right whales each year during the four years between 2018 and 2022. This is far more than the allowable limit for the critically-endangered species to recover its numbers.

The tool also spotlights the fin whale in the Pacific Ocean, a populations still recovering from historical exploitation through Twentieth century industrial whaling, which pushed the species to the brink of extinction, while facing the ongoing threats from modern-day shipping lanes.

Meanwhile, ever-changing ocean conditions in the Atlantic and Pacific threaten each of the whale species, endangering migration routes and food supplies alike. Unpredictable ice patterns – for example – affect the ability of beluga whales to migrate using their typical routes an increase the potential for them to become trapped in the ice. Meanwhile, Southern Resident killer whales are faced with limited access to their preferred prey – Chinook salmon – alongside increasing levels of contaminants from environmental pollution.

Climate change has the potential to increase these two threats, exacerbating the plight being faced by the remaining 73 individuals in the area.

“The privilege we have to see the incredible sight of humpbacks breaching off the coast of Hawaii, or the tender image of right whale mother-calf pairings in the Atlantic, also comes with a responsibility,” said Emily Rusch, Vice President and Senior Director of State Offices at the Public Interest Network.

“We hope that people across the country use this map to understand that it’s not just the whales with whom we share our coastal waters, but also the role that we can play to ensure future generations get to experience the same wonders that these centuries-old creatures provide.”

Baird’s beaked whale, beluga, Blainville’s beaked whale, false killer whale, blue whale, gray whale, humpback, and minke whale are among the 25 species currently populating the waters along the US coastline. 

Along the Washington coastline appears to be one of the more densely populated stretches of water for whales, with a recorded 26 North Pacific right whales, 74 killer whales and 276 offshore killer whales, 466 short-finned pilot whales, 509 minke whales, 625 sei whales, 766 humpbacks, 1,767 blue whales, and 25,849 gray whales among others.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NOAA Fisheries conducts stock assessments to evaluate whale populations and track the impacts of human activities, such a commercial fishing. These reports estimate the size of each stock and document the number of human-caused deaths reported each year.

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