Listening for Whales: Using Passive Acoustic Monitoring to Track North Atlantic Right Whales

Passive acoustic monitoring is the process of using sound to study the ocean. It allows us to learn when and where marine life is found in the ocean. It's one of the many tools NOAA Fisheries uses to track North Atlantic right whales and other marine mammals so that we can learn about and protect them. But this technology has only been able to tell us where whales have been-until now.

In the past, we made these predictions based on historical data. But now, funding from the Inflation Reduction Act is helping us monitor whales in near-real time. Together with other technologies, such as satellite detection, tagging, and aerial and vessel surveys, we are advancing North Atlantic right whale recovery. When we know when and where whales are, we can let mariners know to be cautious and hopefully avoid vessel strikes. We can be more responsive and more timely in establishing measures to protect these endangered whales.