San Francisco Bay’s busy shipping lanes gained a new set of eyes this week. WhaleSpotter, an AI-powered detection network, began scanning the bay around the clock for the telltale blows and body heat of whales, delivering real-time alerts to ferry operators and ship captains within a two-nautical-mile range.
“They’ll be able to make adjustments way before they get anywhere close,” said Thomas Hall, director of operations for San Francisco Bay Ferry, in an interview with The Associated Press. Hall added that the system will allow ferry managers to track whale data over time, identify where the animals congregate, and adjust routes during migration season to bypass those areas entirely.
The deployment comes as ocean warming events known as marine heat waves have become more frequent off the California coast, altering the distribution of krill and anchovies that humpback and other whales feed on. Researchers say these changes are pushing the animals into the path of commercial vessels, leading to a sharp rise in fatal strikes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded a surge in whale entanglements and ship-strike deaths in recent years, prompting calls for technological solutions like WhaleSpotter.
The system uses thermal cameras and machine-learning algorithms to distinguish whale signatures from waves, boats, and other features. When a whale is detected, alerts are sent to vessel operators, who can slow down or change course minutes before arriving at the whale’s location — a window that ferry captains say has been missing until now.
WhaleSpotter is the latest example of California’s expanding use of AI-camera networks, which already include wildfire detection systems across the western states. Officials expect the detection network to grow, adding more sensor stations and widening its coverage area as funding allows.