Characterization of Ship Traffic in Right Whale Critical Habitat

Collisions with ships are a significant threat to the endangered North Atlantic right whale. To reduce this threat, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) established the Mandatory Ship Reporting System (MSRS) in July 1999. Under this system, all commercial ships, 300 gross tons or greater, are required to report to a shore-based station when entering either of two areas surrounding designated critical habitat: one in waters off the northeastern United States and the other off the southeastern United States. Information reported to the system includes entry location, destination, intended route, and speed. Reporting ships receive an automated message indicating precautionary steps to be taken to avoid hitting whales. Ship tracks between sequential ship locations were estimated by using a geographic information system (GIS) and mapped to illustrate traffic patterns within the MSRS. In the northeast, 69% of all valid tracks transited right whale critical habitat areas. All but two southeastern tracks intersected critical habitat. “High-use” traffic corridors were identified within the system. The majority of ships (59%) traveled at speeds greater or equal to 14 kn, a reported speed at which large whales may be critically injured. This characterization provides a portrait of ship traffic in right whale aggregation areas that can be used to develop measures to reduce the threat of ship strikes to right whales.