At S.I.R.F Whales, our mission is to develop better technology to free entangled whales, doing this quickly, safely, and repeatedly with limited human interaction. We are developing new methods and capabilities that increase the detection of entangled marine animals, improve response time to remove entanglement, and increase safety for human operators.
"Entangled whales" refers to sea animals that have become trapped or ensnared in debris. Entanglements can consist of fishing nets, fishing lines, string, rope, or other marine debris.
Current research suggests that over 300,000 marine animals die annually due to entanglements which causes a devastating long term conservation impact on those populations that are already threatened. Entanglement is also a serious welfare issue. It can lead to drowning as trapped animals can't reach the surface to breathe. Also, it can lead to laceration and infection as the rope bites into the skin, along with starvation as the animals are pulling the heavy fishing gear along with them everywhere they go which doesn’t allow them to feed effectively.
Before an entangled animal can be freed, humans must identify that there is an entangled animal, and report this to local authorities. This can be extremely difficult and most of the time these entangled animals are found by accident. Once identified a response plan must be developed and rescue operators deployed. Since whales don’t stay in one location and they are constantly moving, finding that same animal again is extremely difficult and can take days, weeks, or longer. Ocean conditions may restrict rescue attempts for the operators, further prolonging the suffering of the animal. The current methods used to free entangled whales involve human operators deploying grappling hooks to capture the entanglement and then remove by cutting the ropes using a knife that is backwards. Rescuers have lost their lives trying to free entangled whales. Whales that are entangled can be badly injured and stressed. Rough sea conditions and fatigue are just some of the conditions that rescuers must deal with to try and save an animal’s life.
There are many small impactful things you can do to help prevent marine animal entanglements for a greener future. Reducing plastic use like straws, bags, and packaging that can end up in the ocean along with the proper disposal of waste. you can join beach and river cleanups and support sustainable seafood. Always cut plastic rings, loops, or string before disposing them to prevent animals from getting trapped. In some areas, there are hotlines or organizations that will recover lost or abandoned fishing gear. Make sure to educate others about the issue-it multiples the impact.
If you spot an entangled whale, do not try to help it yourself-it can be extremely dangerous. Instead you can follow three simple steps that can insure the safety of the animal and yourself.
At S.I.R.F whales we have developed a AI model that is able to be connected to a drone. Once connected it will survey predetermined corridors and search for a entangled whales/ marine animal. Once identified our program will automatically send a notification to a operator that will determine if the program correctly identified a entangled whale.
The first device is in the shape of a claw. This device is for entanglements that are hanging off of the body of the whale. The claw has three main parts the three arms, rollers on each arm, and blades tucked away to cut the rope. This device is extremely accurate, quick, and most importantly inherently safe for the animal and humans.
The second device is in the shape of a hook and it is for entanglements tight around the body. With this device it can easily slip underneath the skin and cut the rope almost immediately.
It is very important to retrieve the devices along with the debris recently cut. To retrieve this device a parachute will deploy which will bring the cutter to the surface along with a GPS attached. This will allow for a operator to retrieve the device at a later date. there will also be a capturing device for the rope too.
Mon | 09:00 am – 05:00 pm | |
Tue | 09:00 am – 05:00 pm | |
Wed | 09:00 am – 05:00 pm | |
Thu | 09:00 am – 05:00 pm | |
Fri | 09:00 am – 05:00 pm | |
Sat | Closed | |
Sun | Closed |
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