Mar 9, 2026
OTTAWA, March 9, 2026 – The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) has helped update a new tool to measure the likelihood that a vessel strike will cause a lethal injury to a large whale.
“Ship strikes are one of the major threats that large whales face worldwide. Although it is known that ship speed affects the severity of injuries to whales during a collision, researchers did not have the tools to also consider ship size and type in risk assessments until now,” said CWF fisheries research scientist Alexandra Mayette, lead author of the recently published article in the scientific journal PLOS One.
In this article, the relationship between vessel length and mass of 12 different types of vessels was calculated to assist researchers in accounting for vessel size. CWF had previously collaborated with Professor Dan Kelley of Dalhousie University to create a model for measuring the lethality of a vessel strike for North Atlantic Right Whales, but its application to different vessel types and whale species was limited. Using the results of this new study and whale body measurements compiled to add parameters for 10 additional whale species, Mayette and Kelley updated the model, which is available to researchers as a package called “whalestrike” in the statistical software R.
This updated tool will help researchers improve the assessment of risk and the identification of high-risk zones which should inform vessel management regulations and reduce whale collisions with ships. Researchers can estimate the lethality of a vessel strike involving a Humpback Whale and a ferry, for example, or a Blue Whale and a container ship. We can also better estimate the risk posed by small vessels like pleasure crafts and sailing boats, which was difficult before.
Many national and international collaborators including Cascadia Research, Dalhousie University, Falklands Conservation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Newfoundland Region, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Marine Animal Response Society, Mingan Island Cetacean Study and the New Brunswick Museum provided whale measurements which were compiled by CWF for this work.
The Marine Conservation Science team continues to find ways to better assess the risk of ship strikes for whales and ensure we can use evidence-based solutions to protect them.
For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca .
About the Canadian Wildlife Federation:
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to conserving Canada’s wildlife and habitats for the use and enjoyment of all. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on wildlife and the environment, carrying out actions to conserve and restore species and habitats, developing and delivering conservation education programs, advocating for changes to government policy and programs, and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
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