Thermal cameras and artificial intelligence are being tested as another tool to give boat operators earlier warning of whales ahead.
Technology designed to spot whales miles ahead of a moving vessel is being tested aboard a new sportfishing yacht, offering a look at how artificial intelligence and thermal imaging could become another collision-avoidance tool for boat operators.
New Jersey-based Viking Yacht Company is evaluating WhaleSpotter aboard its new Viking 70 Convertible demonstration boat. The system uses a thermal camera combined with artificial intelligence to identify whales ahead of a vessel and alert the captain.
Atlantic Marine Electronics, a Viking subsidiary, installed the equipment on the yacht’s tuna tower using a removable mount. The camera and processing computer are contained in a single unit, while a tablet at the helm displays thermal imagery and provides an estimated distance and bearing when a whale is detected. The system also provides an audible warning.
According to WhaleSpotter, its technology can detect whales at distances of approximately two to three nautical miles during the day or at night, although detection range depends on various factors, which include camera height and the size of the animal. The company’s software is designed to distinguish whales from waves, spray and other activity on the water.
For captains operating at cruising speeds, the goal is to provide additional time to react.
“Seeing a whale two or three miles ahead gives a captain time to make a small course correction to avoid it,” WhaleSpotter CEO Shawn Henry said. “That’s the value of long-range detection. Captains can identify a potential risk and respond well before the vessel gets close to the whale.”
The system recently collected data during the Viking 70’s trip from New Jersey to Florida, although no whales were detected during the passage. Viking plans to keep the equipment aboard during regular operations to continue evaluating its performance in real-world conditions. According to WhaleSpotter, the installation is the company’s first demonstration aboard a sportfishing yacht.
While the current trial is taking place on the East Coast, the underlying technology could have broader implications for recreational and commercial vessels operating in areas where whales and boats regularly share the water.
Southern California boaters encounter several whale species throughout the year, making visual awareness an important part of operating offshore. Technology capable of identifying animals beyond the range at which a crew might otherwise notice a blow, back or other visual cue could potentially provide another source of information at the helm.
The system is not intended to replace a captain’s judgment or traditional watchkeeping. Instead, the technology is being developed as an additional detection tool.
Viking has been involved in testing whale-detection and vessel-strike avoidance technology since 2022. The company and other industry partners formed the Whale and Vessel Safety Taskforce, known as WAVS, that year, with much of the group’s work focused on reducing collisions involving the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
A 24-foot Contender research boat used by the task force carries thermal imaging, radar and AI detection equipment. Testing has included examining how vessel maneuvers following detections can be tracked using marine electronics data.
The work also comes as whale-strike prevention remains part of a broader regulatory discussion on the East Coast. Existing federal regulations require most vessels 65 feet or longer to operate at 10 knots or less in designated Seasonal Management Areas during specified periods to reduce risks to North Atlantic right whales. Viking has advocated for consideration of detection and avoidance technologies as part of future regulatory approaches.
“We’re seeing tremendous progress in whale-detection technology, and these systems are becoming more practical and accessible for recreational boats,” said John DePersenaire, Viking’s director of government affairs and sustainability. “The WhaleSpotter demonstration is another example of technology that’s available today and can help captains avoid whales.”
WhaleSpotter’s technology grew from more than a decade of research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The artificial intelligence system has been trained using images of whales and ocean conditions to recognize characteristics associated with different animals.
Henry said the technology can sometimes distinguish between species based on visual characteristics captured by the thermal camera, including the shape of a whale’s blow.
The company reports that more than 70 of its systems have been deployed worldwide, including aboard commercial vessels and at shore-based monitoring locations.
For recreational boaters, technologies such as WhaleSpotter represent another example of artificial intelligence moving onto the helm. Radar, AIS, and sonar already provide boat operators with information about traffic and conditions that may not be immediately apparent to the eye. Whale-detection systems could add marine mammals to that growing picture, although continued testing will help determine how effectively the technology performs across different vessels, sea states, and operating conditions.
