1. We are WSP
  2. What we do
  3. Projects
  4. smartWhales
In co-operation with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada, and the participation of five Canadian companies, smartWhales is an initiative of the Canadian Space Agency to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. With only about 350 left in the wild, this marine conservation initiative uses cutting-edge tools like satellite data, machine learning, and predictive models to keep these whales safe while balancing Canada’s important maritime economy.

Location

  • Canada

Client

  • Government of Canada

Project Status

  • Ongoing

2024 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards

Grands Prix du Génie-Conseil Québécois 2024

Protecting a species on the brink

“The North Atlantic right whale is critically endangered, with only about 350 individuals remaining. Climate change has led to higher water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine, which has reduced the abundance of zooplankton, their preferred prey. As a result, these whales have moved to areas like the Gulf of St. Lawrence to find food.” Dr Moira Brown, a Senior Scientist at the Canadian Whale Institute and member of the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, says, explaining the background to the plight of the right whale and why the numbers dropped drastically from around 500 in 2010 to just 350 today. 
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New feeding grounds, new threats

With their food supply dwindling, these whales have had to shift their feeding grounds to places like the Gulf of St. Lawrence. But that’s come with new dangers, including vessel strikes and getting tangled in fishing gear—two of the biggest risks they face.
To tackle these challenges, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada launched the smartWhales initiative. Funded under the CSA’s smartEarth program and supported by organizations like ours, the initiative uses satellite tech to predict where whales will be. 
 
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The power of innovation and collaboration

Our role is managing and analyzing the Earth Observation Data, which is the most reliable data source for near real-time data for large areas of the sea and creating an accurate model of right whale movements and essential for configuring, validating and feeding modelling tools in real-time. “We will use the data to observe the North Atlantic right whales’ movement and use that as reference data for hydrodynamic modelling, risk modelling and ship modelling. What this means is that decisions like slowing down ships or temporarily closing fishing areas can happen even before the whales even show up, keeping them out of harm’s way.” explains Patrick Lafrance, National Vice-President – Ecology and Environmental impact assessment.

Working alongside a team of experts from from Dalhousie University, the Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski (ISMER), DHI Water & Environment and the Canadian Whale Institute, a wide range of retrospective models to predict the presence, movement and behaviour of right whales.  

 

Positive impacts for whales, people, and the planet

By cutting down on vessel strikes and gear entanglements, WSP’s smartWhales project could help the survival of this species if fully implemented. The program’s predictive models also provide even more knowledge to help protect this species.

On the human side, this project balances the need to protect the whales with the importance of maritime industries, helping everyone coexist sustainably. It’s also a global example of how technology can make a real difference in conservation when governments, industries, and scientists team up.

The project will track success through key goals like providing near real-time whale movement forecasts, reducing incidents involving ships and fishing gear, and creating tools that can be used for other conservation challenges. Testing and validating these tools is a continuous and ongoing process.

Meet the Visioneers

There are many incredible minds behind smartWhales all helping to revolutionise marine conservation technology. “Bringing together expertise from engineers, biologists, data scientists, hydrodynamic modelers, and more, this collaboration exemplifies how innovation thrives when disciplines unite.” says Patrick LaFrance.
Its been an incredibly rewarding experience for the whole team.

Other challenges that we have overcome

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