Conservationists Are Hoping iOS Devices Will Help Save The Whale From Deadly Ship Collisions

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Whale Alert is a free app that could help save the whale from extinction.
Whale Alert is a free app that could help save the whale from extinction.

Marine authorities estimate that there are only 350 to 550 whales left in the world, making the mammal an endangered species. Those that are left are at risk of being killed by deadly collisions with ships, but conservationists are hoping Apple’s iOS devices can help save the species from extinction.

Between 1970 and 2007, one-third of whales that died were killed by collisions with large vessels, like cruise and container ships. When whales are detected, ships can alter their course slightly or slow down and allow them to pass. The problem is, they’re not always detected.

However, a free app called Whale Alert, developed by EarthNC, uses GPS and other technologies to transmit the latest available data concerning whale movements in the North Atlantic, and can help ships establish where whales are.

Patrick Ramage, director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, believes iPhones and iPads with this app will help find the whales and save them:

Right whales are an iconic species for those who live on the coast of Massachusetts and the Northeast US. In a region where for generations New Englanders have harnessed technology to find whales and kill them.

Now, in the 21st century, we are harnessing technology to find them and save them.

This is just another example of Apple’s iOS devices put to great use. And you thought they were only good for Angry Birds and Netflix.

[via Sky News]

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