The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a pilot program to alert boaters of whale sightings in Washington State’s Salish Sea. The program began operations in December, at a time when humpback whales and sea mammal-hunting orca populations are high. The program hopes to reduce boat collisions by combining mariner and civilian whale sightings.

The Salish Sea is made up of the waters between Washington State and British Columbia, including Puget Sound. Orcas, humpbacks and baleen whales have lived in these waters for hundreds of thousands of years. According to the Coast Guard, almost 300,000 vessels moved through those waters in 2023, which is home to numerous American and Canadian ports. The 300,000 number does not account for private vessels.

The whale desk operates through an app that combines whale sightings by mariners and civilians with data from underwater listening devices. Alerts are then sent out to commercial vessels and regional ferries via a mobile app. Personal vessels do not receive the notices.

“We’re focusing on empowering the ship operators with the situational awareness … so they’re able to slow down preemptively, perhaps give a little bit of a wider berth to an area with a recently reported whale,” whale desk manager Lt. Commander Margaret Woodbridge told ABC News.

Those who spot whales can share their sightings on one of two apps that send information to the Coast Guard’s Puget Sound Vessel Traffic Service. Mariners can share sightings via radio frequencies and a phone tip line.

The four-year pilot program—originally created to protect the well-being of endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales—has been a long-term effort of the maritime industry, wildlife advocates and state and federal agencies. Now, the program is capable of reporting on all whale-types sighted and has already surpassed expectations. Whale sighting reports of all species of whales spiked by 585 percent when comparing December 2022 to December 2023.

While the work to protect whales is far from over—sighting whales in inclement weather and at night is still challenging—the new integrated system is headed in the right direction.

“It’s really a bit of a watershed moment,” said Kevin Bartoy, chief sustainability officer for Washington state ferries. “The amount of sightings now that we get on any given day is incredible. We can know essentially where a whale is at any time.”