Video taken under licence.
Sound is survival, protect killer whales
Quieter waters for wildlife. Lower emissions for a healthier coast. Better tools for conservation science.
Help us quiet our research vessel, Achiever, so we can study killer whales without adding to the noise that threatens them, and advance research that shows what that noise takes from them. A quieter boat means better science, and better science means stronger protection.
Video taken under licence.
Our ocean is getting louder
Killer whales live in a world of sound, and we are filling it with noise. Unlike most pollution, noise stops the moment we stop making it. Every quieter vessel on the water makes a difference. This is why we are reimagining the way we do research.
Why sound matters
Killer whales depend on sound to stay in contact with family, coordinate their movements, find prey and pass knowledge from one generation to the next.
Underwater, light fades quickly, but sound travels more than four times faster than in air and carries over far greater distances. That is why killer whales and other marine mammals rely on sound for almost every aspect of their lives, and why the roar of a vessel can mask their calls from kilometers away.
Ocean noise is an existential threat for killer whales
For over a century, vessel traffic has been steadily increasing, and underwater noise has become one of the fastest-growing threats to ocean life. Noise masks killer whale calls, reduces the distance over which family members can hear one another, interferes with the echolocation they use to find prey, and can drive them away from key feeding grounds. Turning down that noise is possible, and it starts with the vessels already on the water, including our own.
A quieter way forward
We ask governments and industry to reduce the noise they put into whale habitat and we hold ourselves to the same standard. Achiever, our 68-foot research vessel, is the platform that enables our killer whale research and much of Raincoast’s conservation work along the coast. The diesel engine is due for replacement. We will replace it with a hybrid electric propulsion system, powered by batteries and solar, and a quieter propeller. Achiever will be able to run on electric power alone for extended periods, moving quietly and efficiently around the whales we study.
Leading the way to a healthier ocean
A repowered Achiever would serve not only as a research platform but also as a demonstration of emerging technologies that can help reduce the acoustic footprint of marine activities in critical whale habitat. It will be a working model of an ethical research vessel on our coast: proof that research at sea can be done quietly, and an example for research, tourism, and commercial vessels to follow. Help us walk the talk.
Quieting Achiever
For a project built on listening, moving quietly is essential.
Help us build the platform our research needs to defend the wildlife who call these oceans home.
Your gift puts a quieter research vessel on the water: one that disturbs less of what it studies, collects more accurate data, and shows the coast what responsible time on the water should look like.
Why is quieting Achiever essential:
- Less noise in whale habitat. A smaller acoustic footprint around the whales we study and the ecosystem they depend on.
- Better science. Today, we shut Achiever’s engine down whenever we can to keep its noise out of our recordings. A quieter electric drive would let us stay under power without masking the very calls we are recording.
- Quieter, safer manoeuvring. Electric propulsion gives precise, low-noise control during encounters, so we can keep our distance from the whales without adding to the noise around them.
- Lower emissions. Less fuel burned means a smaller carbon footprint for every day at sea.
- Better Return on Investment. More science per dollar. Lower fuel and maintenance costs, and less time out of service.
- Leadership on our coast. A real-world demonstration of quieter marine technology in killer whale habitat.
Reducing ocean noise is everyone’s responsibility
Shipping, tourism, fishing, and recreational boats all add to underwater noise in killer whale habitat, and every one of them can be quieter. We are starting with our own boat, and with the science that shows why it matters. Help us lead the way to a quieter ocean.