Ferry Noise Study Looks For Ways To Quiet Down For Whales

SEATTLE, WA -- A month-long noise study is underway deep beneath the waters of Elliott Bay. Throughout October, Washington's ferry system will work to learn exactly how loud their vessels are underwater and determine what changes can be made to have minimal impact on marine life, especially among our Southern Resident orca population. A story in the Seattle Times this summer outlined exactly how boat traffic can interfere with orcas' ability to hunt.

Washington State Ferries says the program is funded through the governor's office and relies on a hydrophone resting 500 feet underwater. This week, researchers are recording along the Seattle-Bainbridge route, hoping to pinpoint the exact level of noise vessels make at varying speeds and distances. When they wrap in Seattle, the hydrophone will move to the Port Townsend route, then up north to Anacortes.

There are seven classes of ferry boats, each designed with different hull dimensions and propulsion systems, which affects the amount of noise they emit at different speeds. Once the study is complete, researchers will have a clear picture of how much each specific vessel should slow down when whales are nearby. That information will be paired with realtime location reports from the newly launched Whale Report Alert System, giving ferry captains everything they need to make adjustments.

The physical gathering of data will wrap up by the end of October. A precise date for the study's completion is not yet known.