The CMA CGM Group announced in March its partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to increase right whale detection efforts along the US East Coast. With funding from CMA CGM, WHOI researchers will assemble and deploy two, near real-time passive acoustic monitoring buoys off the coast of Norfolk in Virgenia and Savannah in Georgia, early this year. The first buoy was deployed on 20 July 2022 off the coast of Norfolk and the second buoy was deployed, 39 miles off the coast of Savannah.Although North Atlantic right whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, serious threats to their survival abound, and only approximately 336 of these great whales remain. The installment of the buoys aims to aid in the endangered species’ survival as they migrate from north to south.Locations off the coast of Norfolk and Savannah were chosen for the new systems because the ports are among the busiest in the United States, which often puts ships directly in the path of migrating whales. The new buoys will fill a critical gap in monitoring along the East CoastIn addition to construction and deployment of the new buoys to alert mariners of the presence of whales near critical US ports, CMA CGM and WHOI will lead the development of an industry consortium focused on reducing risks to right whales from vessels and supporting the continued operation of the WHOI-developed digital acoustic monitoring DMON buoys. This unique collaboration started in the United States thus aims to have a global impact by significantly improving marine mammal protection worldwide
The CMA CGM Group announced in March its partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to increase right whale detection efforts along the US East Coast. With funding from CMA CGM, WHOI researchers will assemble and deploy two, near real-time passive acoustic monitoring buoys off the coast of Norfolk in Virgenia and Savannah in Georgia, early this year. The first buoy was deployed on 20 July 2022 off the coast of Norfolk and the second buoy was deployed, 39 miles off the coast of Savannah.Although North Atlantic right whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, serious threats to their survival abound, and only approximately 336 of these great whales remain. The installment of the buoys aims to aid in the endangered species’ survival as they migrate from north to south.Locations off the coast of Norfolk and Savannah were chosen for the new systems because the ports are among the busiest in the United States, which often puts ships directly in the path of migrating whales. The new buoys will fill a critical gap in monitoring along the East CoastIn addition to construction and deployment of the new buoys to alert mariners of the presence of whales near critical US ports, CMA CGM and WHOI will lead the development of an industry consortium focused on reducing risks to right whales from vessels and supporting the continued operation of the WHOI-developed digital acoustic monitoring DMON buoys. This unique collaboration started in the United States thus aims to have a global impact by significantly improving marine mammal protection worldwide
