Atlantic Whale Deal: Mitigating Ship Strikes and Enhancing Carbon Sequestration in the Atlantic
The IWDG are partners in an EU Interreg Atlantic Area funded project which aims to mitigate against ship strikes and enhance carbon sequestration in the Atlantic. The project aims to address these shared challenges by delivering innovative solutions that protect whales from ship strikes. By ensuring the safety of whale populations, the project seeks to enhance the ecosystem services provided by these magnificent creatures, promote natural solutions for carbon sequestration, and improve the long-term health and sustainable utilization of resources in the Atlantic.
The project takes a multidisciplinary approach to reduce ship-whale collisions in the Atlantic. The Atlantic Whale Deal will conceive, develop, and test state-of-the-art detection, localisation, and identification systems for cetaceans at sea through the synergy of multiple networked sensors and platforms. Three distinct approaches will be employed—visual, acoustic, and modelled products—based on cutting-edge technologies to provide an advisory interface with real-time information about the presence of whales in the area.
The pilot initiatives span diverse locations across the European Atlantic Area, each with distinct needs. These initiatives aim to create a cost-effective system that can be implemented elsewhere. Despite past efforts, technologies for detecting and localising wild cetaceans remain unexplored and ineffective. New methods and enhance existing systems will be explored while working to bridge the gap in our knowledge about whale distribution and behaviour.
Atlantic Whale Deal includes a diverse group of stakeholders, including maritime transport companies, engineers, conservation agencies, whale-watching ecotourism providers, and marine scientists. Together, we have the potential to bring about a significant transformation in the recovery of whale populations and the preservation of the Atlantic marine ecosystem.
Whale Deal Partners:
- Mar Ilimitado, Actividades na Natureza e no Mar, Lda. (Algarve, PT)
- Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canarias, ES)
- Consorcio para el Diseño, la Construcción, el Equipamiento y la Explotación de la Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias (Canarias, ES)
- La Rochelle Université (Poitou-Charentes, FR)
- University College Dublin (Eastern and Midland, IE)
- Asociación BDRI para el Estudio y Conservación de la Biodiversidad Marina (Galicia, ES)
- Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (Northern and Western, IE)
- Associação para o Desenvolvimento do Atlantic International Research Centre (Açores, PT)
- Direção Regional de Políticas Marítimas (Açores, PT)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique – Délégation Régionale Aquitaine (Aquitaine, FR)
- Universidad de La Laguna (Canarias, ES)
Associated partners:
- Atlânticoline, S.A. (Açores, PT)
- Fred. Olsen, S.A. (Canarias, ES)