{"id":134639,"date":"2026-05-20T10:15:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/california-races-to-protect-whales-as-deaths-spike\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T10:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:16:11","slug":"california-races-to-protect-whales-as-deaths-spike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/california-races-to-protect-whales-as-deaths-spike\/","title":{"rendered":"California races to protect whales as deaths spike"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 Ferries, cargo ships and tankers cut through choppy waters in the San Francisco Bay Tuesday as a whale surfaced nearby, its spout barely visible against the white caps. Until now, whales could easily go unnoticed by mariners, but an AI-powered detection network launched this week is designed to track them day and night.<\/p>\n

The system, called WhaleSpotter, scans the bay around the clock for whale blows and heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away, alerting mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll be able to make adjustments way before they get anywhere close,\u201d said Thomas Hall, director of operations for San Francisco Bay Ferry. \u201cIt will also allow us to track data over time and see where the whales are camping out so we can adjust our routes during whale season to avoid those areas completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

The effort comes amid an alarming rise in gray whale deaths<\/a><\/span> in the bay. Last year, 21 dead gray whales were found in the wider Bay Area \u2014 the highest number in 25 years, according to The Marine Mammal Center \u2014 with at least 40% killed by ship strikes. At least 10 more have died in the Bay Area so far this year.<\/p>\n

Scientists say those figures likely underestimate the true toll as many whale carcasses sink or are swept back out to sea before they are ever found or reported.<\/p>\n

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Birds fly around a dead whale near Crown Beach in Alameda, Calif., April 21, 2024. (Bront\u00eb Wittpenn\/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n