Networking Shipping Traffic with Whales’ Migratory Routes in the Eastern Pacific

The health of the oceans is crucial, as 80% of global trade occurs via maritime routes, creating significant economic dependence for many nations. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Whaling Commission (IWC), and other organizations work to manage marine traffic and minimize collisions between ships and large whales. However, these collisions are estimated to impact hundreds of whales each year.  There is a lack of regional commitment at international and national levels to incorporate the risk of ship collisions with whales into maritime traffic management. In the Eastern Pacific Ocean, vessel and humpback whale migratory routes are well documented, and scientific information is available to inform conservation policies that do not hinder the shipping industry. From the western coast of the United States to Chile, the IMO has implemented and adopted standard routing systems such as traffic separation schemes (TSS), areas-to-be-avoided (ATBA), and precautionary routes. However, a comprehensive routing system that connects the region has yet to be developed; a safe navigation corridor is lacking. For instance, Panama adopted a TSS in 2014, improving maritime safety and reducing whale collisions, followed by Costa Rica's implementation of ATBA and TSS in the south in 2018. Since then, and ten years later, unsuccessful efforts have been made to introduce TSS on the coasts of Ecuador and Peru, which would seamlessly connect with Panama, relocating the primary shipping route away from the coastal zone where thousands of whales concentrate and migrate between feeding grounds in the Antarctic and south of Chile and breeding grounds in Central and Northern South America. Conversely, the ongoing construction of mega ports in breeding areas threatens large whale species such as Blue, Humpback, and Bryde's whales. The IMO should coordinate multinational efforts across countries and lower bureaucracies to enable the development of navigation corridors. While scientific data on whale migration and habitat use exists, the implementation into policies is lacking behind. Integrating the science into policies or developing shipping corridors across countries is the first step before implementing acoustic monitoring buoys and communication apps, which are critical for coastal navigation and approaching regional ports.