Photo Credit: Darrin Allen @NOAA Permit #26532
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara’s Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory (BOSL), a center for applied marine research within the university’s Marine Science Institute, together with partners in the San Francisco Bay Area, have developed a new artificial intelligence system designed to reduce collisions between whales and vessels in and around San Francisco Bay. The technology uses thermal imaging cameras and AI-powered detection software to identify whales by detecting both their body heat and the heat signature of their exhaled breath, known as “blows,” in heavily trafficked waterways. When whales are detected, alerts are sent to nearby mariners so vessels can reduce speed or change course.
The project comes during a critical period for gray whales, whose migration season typically peaks in May. Several whale deaths linked to vessel strikes have already been documented this year in and around the Bay. Researchers believe many gray whales are entering San Francisco Bay in search of food as climate-driven changes in the Arctic reduce prey availability along their traditional migration route between Alaska and Mexico.
BOSL Research Scientist Dr. Rachel Rhodes, who leads the project, noted the urgency of deploying the technology during the height of gray whale season. Professor Douglas McCauley, director of BOSL, and Principal Investigator at the Marine Science Institute, emphasized that the collaboration among researchers, maritime agencies and conservation organizations could significantly improve whale protection efforts in the region.
All the right partners in the Bay Area community have come together to do something. This new system will save whales’ lives. We are all proud of this.
The system was developed through a partnership among BOSL researchers, the U.S. Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service and marine mammal specialists at The Marine Mammal Center. Using FLIR thermal cameras and AI technology developed by WhaleSpotter, the network can detect whale blows from distances of up to four nautical miles. Each automated detection is reviewed by trained marine mammal specialists before alerts are distributed.
Whale detections are then shared through Whale Safe, an online whale tracking platform created by BOSL researchers that provides real-time information to mariners and the Coast Guard. Vessel Traffic Service officials can notify ships operating nearby when whales are at immediate risk.
Researchers say the effort addresses a growing conservation challenge for Eastern North Pacific gray whales, whose populations have declined significantly over the past decade. As Arctic sea ice diminishes, feeding conditions have worsened, leading more whales to detour into San Francisco Bay to forage or rest. These detours place weakened whales in close proximity to cargo ships, ferries, fishing vessels and recreational boats.
The first thermal camera station was installed on Angel Island in partnership with the Coast Guard, monitoring an area near Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge where whale activity and vessel traffic frequently overlap. A second detection system is planned for installation aboard MV Lyra, a passenger ferry operated by San Francisco Bay Ferry. The ferry-based installation will mark the first vessel-mounted whale detection system operating in the Bay. Researchers and transportation agencies are also exploring additional expansion sites to improve whale monitoring coverage throughout the region.
The thermal camera initiative is part of a larger collaboration coordinated through the San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee’s Marine Mammal Subcommittee, which brings together ferry operators, maritime agencies, marine mammal experts and research institutions focused on improving whale safety while maintaining efficient vessel traffic throughout the Bay.
A thermal camera surveilling the San Francisco Bay for whale thermal signatures. Courtesy Image
You can open up an app on your phone and instantaneously see the exact location of every Muni bus in San Francisco. We aim to soon be able to do the same thing for whales in the Bay. This would be a game-changer for whale safety.
Adapted from original reporting by Sonia Fernandez, “New AI system uses cameras and thermal sensors to steer ships clear of gray whales in the San Francisco Bay,” The Current, UC Santa Barbara, 2026.
Photo Credit: Darrin Allen @NOAA Permit #26532