Concerns over whales migrating in and out of Prince William Sound, with oil industry tankers and heavy cruise ship traffic in summer months, have prompted much discussion over whether slowing the speed of these ships would offer a safety net for the cetaceans.
For the whales at home since time immemorial in Prince William Sound, the presence of whale watching vessels, recreational boats and other vessels may cause stress and behavior changes in humpback whales, as noted by NOAA Fisheries researchers. The whales, meanwhile, are already contending with other challenges, from climate change impacts to entanglement in fishing gear. Humpbacks do have protection under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, which offers education to the whale watching/tourism industry and vessel operators on responsible viewing of humpback whales. In some areas of Southeast Alaska, vessel operators are even advised that they should always assume that several humpbacks are present.
NOAA advises vessel operators that reducing their speed gives the operator more time to spot whales, which can help prevent surprise close encounters. Slowing down also gives the whales more time to react and move away.
Necropsies of a yearling humpback and pregnant 23-year-old female humpback found deceased in Icy Strait in July of 2024 revealed injuries consistent with vessel strikes, according to NOAA Fisheries. The area is popular with fishermen sightseeing and cruise ship tourists.
In the aftermath of those incidents, retired University of Alaska professor Rick Steiner of Oasis Earth – an environmental sustainability consulting group – petitioned NOAA to identify whale safety zones in federal waters where large ships should adopt whale strike mitigation protocols. The larger vessels, both tankers and cruise ships, appear to present the highest vessel strike risk to large whales, due to their size and speed, Steiner said.
He contends that the oil industry continues to ignore the more than 16,000 gray whales migrating across shipping lanes outside Hinchinbrook entrance to the sound, as well as killer whales in shipping lanes in the entrance.
Steiner also said in a letter to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in August of 2024 that his group was informed that from Aug. 1-31 of that summer, that there were 89 cruise ship visits scheduled to the area – an average of three transits a day – moving at 20-23 knots, or more than 26 miles an hour.
“Clearly, your ships present significant, and unacceptable risk of whale-ship strikes in the area, and your members should adopt responsible whale-strike mitigation protocols, as proposed,” Steiner said.
In response to a query from the Cordova Times, CLIA said their association prioritizes marine life protection and has been recognized for its work.
One initiative cruise lines utilize to avoid whale strikes is training crews for sighting whales and identifying other types of marine mammals – supported further by policies to reduce the impact of operations on whales and other marine mammals by reducing vessel speed and maintaining safe distances from marine mammals, according to CLIA. The industry also uses an interactive, computer-based training program developed in collaboration with NOAA and the National Parks Service, CLIA said.
Other cruise ship industry initiatives include underwater radiated noise management systems, specially designed hulls and propellers, and noise suppression devices on cruise ships designed to significantly minimize underwater vibrations.
A 2023 study conducted by NOAA Fisheries estimated there were about 60 humpback whales in Prince William Sound and that fin, minke and gray whales were occasional visitors. The estimate on killer whales, or orcas, in Prince William Sound numbers was about 500, plus a transient population numbering more than 300.
Studies reported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information noted that between 1985 and 1988, commercial fishermen angered the killer whales by taking about one quarter of their sablefish catch, and used high-powered rifles and underwater explosives to kill them.
The report contained no incidents of deaths due to vessel strikes.
The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council said in comments on March 31 that the council has for years expressed concerns about protecting whale populations from impacts of the oil industry, but felt there is currently a lack of information regarding the prevalence and risk of tanker-whale strikes in Prince William Sound. The council recommended NOAA conduct a thorough assessment of whale presence and common seasonal movement patterns in the sound, using existing data for humpback and other whale species.
The council also recommended in a letter to the response planning group of Trans Alaska Pipeline System shippers, that they should considerer voluntary speed reductions down to 10 knots to reduce the risk of whale strikes, as well as to reduce air emissions and noise pollution from the tankers. Tankers laden with oil already have speed restrictions is areas throughout the region, including 6 knots through Valdez Narrows, 8 knots in the vicinity of Buoy No. 9, 10 knots through Port Valdez – Valdez Arm and Hinchinbrook Entrance, and 12 knots through all other areas of Prince William Sound.
However, tankers not carrying oil only face a single speed restriction of 12 knots in Valdez Narrows and are free to travel at their maximum speed of 15-16 knots through everywhere else in Prince William Sound.
The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council also said the group is hoping to move forward in the coming year with a project to install a thermal imaging and visual camera that can automatically identify whales on the bow of a tanker.
