It’d be fair to say that it's impossible to be a seafarer for more than a couple of years without having some kind of connection to the Ocean. Whether it's a love of the water, a passion for sailing or a deep routed family tradition, the marine environment is at the heart of what nearly two million seafarers, live, breathe and see every day.
Hand in hand with this connection comes the important role seafarers play as advocates for our Oceans and the marine life within them. This is why we are proud to be able to bring the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) Becoming Whale Aware course to the Seably platform. It's a course that we hope every one of our seafarers will be encouraged to take.
How Many Whales are Killed by Ship Strikes Each Year?
Ship strikes are one of the greatest known threats to all whales, with an estimated 20-30,000 killed by accidental ship strikes every year. The magnitude of this has increased as the shipping industry has expanded in recent years. This is hampering the recovery of several endangered whale species worldwide and impacting the vital role these majestic creatures play in the marine ecosystem which provides us with at least half of the oxygen we breathe.
Another important factor is the danger whales pose to ships. Without precautions to avoid collisions, damage can be done to the vessel, affecting the safety of passengers or crew.
For seafarers, seeing whales at sea is undoubtedly a breathtaking and awe-inspiring experience. An often overlooked consideration is also the upsetting effect whale strikes have on the crew, as Ash Oro, Content Creator at Seably and Former Chief Officer expressed, “I spent many years at sea on military and merchant navy vessels. A whale strike would have a significant psychological impact on myself and my crew. We often experienced feelings of trauma, guilt, anxiety, and distress.”
Right whale mother with ship strike injuries; photo by Fabien Vivier, Murdoch University, Australia, taken under research permit.
Ash went on to explain, “This had the potential to be distracting, negatively impacting job performance as well as the well-being of the crew. I’m sure any professional seafarer who has experienced this event would agree it's devastating. If it can be easily avoided with a little training and a better understanding of the whales themselves, that is a good thing.”
The WCA has been working with scientists and conservation managers for years to identify appropriate measures to reduce the risks of strikes between ships and whales.
How can the Becoming Whale Aware Course Help?
The course is designed specifically to help any maritime professional that might observe whales at sea; such as skippers, bridge crew, guides and other onboard staff. It will enable them to assess the risk of collisions occurring, understand how to plan ahead to reduce that risk and learn how to spot high-risk species and behaviours at sea.
The desire is that every HR, Training Manager and Course Administrator will assign this important course to their crew and actively support and celebrate the vital role seafarers play in ensuring the conservation and protection of whales and their environment.
We are going to be supporting the WCA by helping them gather data to assess the effectiveness of the Becoming Whale Aware course. This will be done by analysing the impact training has had on the number of whale strikes per vessel or within a fleet. If you are going to assign this course to your seafarers and would like to join us in supporting WCA by sharing your data, please reach out to Harry Eckman. This will help them evaluate and finesse the training and perhaps ultimately become a catalyst for influencing policy change.
We certainly think this is an important and worthwhile course. It will be great to know what you think and whether or not your seafarers feel it has made an impact on the number of Whale Strikes.
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