Ship collision risk threatens whales across the world’s oceans
Anna C. Nisi, Heather Welch, Stephanie Brodie, Callie Leiphardt, Rachel Rhodes, Elliott L. Hazen, Jessica V. Redfern, Trevor A. Branch, André S. Barreto, John Calambokidis, Tyler Clavelle, Lauren E. Dares, Asha de Vos, Shane Gero, Jennifer A. Jackson, Robert D. Kenney, David A. Kroodsma, Russell Leaper, Douglas J. McCauley, Sue E. Moore, Ekaterina Ovsyanikova, Simone Panigada, Chloe V. Robinson, Timothy D. White, Jono R. Wilson, Briana Abrahms
Abstract
After the near-complete cessation of commercial whaling, ship collisions have emerged as a primary threat to large whales, but knowledge of collision risk is lacking across most of the world's oceans. We compiled a dataset of 435,000 whale locations to generate global distribution models for four globally ranging species. We then combined >35 billion positions from 176,000 ships to produce a global estimate of whale-ship collision risk. Shipping occurs across 92% of whale ranges, and <7% of risk hotspots contain management strategies to reduce collisions. Full coverage of hotspots could be achieved by expanding management over only 2.6% of the ocean's surface. These inferences support the continued recovery of large whales against the backdrop of a rapidly growing shipping industry.