The Whale Alert BRIDGE Initiative
Building Relationships & Information for Data-sharing, Guidance & Education to reduce negative human impacts on large whales.
Led by Whale Alert ● Powered by Conserve.io ● Funded by NFWF
New Whale Alert Users this Year
Since 2012, Whale Alert has been working to reduce vessel strikes. The BRIDGE Initiative, led by Whale Alert, funded by NFWF, will build a network and expand and improve the Whale Alert platform and tools to empower mariners to reduce negative human impacts on large whales – especially the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.
Bridging the gaps, to protect more whales
Join us in a cross-sector collaboration to aggregate near real-time whale-presence data, improve vessel safety, and accelerate innovation in reducing whale strikes and other anthropomorphic impacts. With our partners in recreational and commercial boating, whale observer networks, ocean resource management, and academic and conservation institutions, we will help build an ocean where humans and whales coexist.
Our 2026 Goal
The BRIDGE initiative will expand the Whale Alert platform by creating a collaborative network of people, information, and technology to unite mariners, conservation groups, scientists, regulators, and the general public. Our mission is to help close critical knowledge gaps—understanding where whales are and how vessels affect their survival—while working to break down data silos through openness, transparency, best-available science, and shared technology standards. By fostering trust, BRIDGE will connect people and information to empower real-time decision-making where it matters most: at the helm, where ship strikes can be prevented.
STEP 1: Tell us what you need
We all have a common goal in reducing vessel strikes and other impacts, but solving this complex problem requires coordinating a community with different needs and challenges. We want to hear from you, to understand how we can build a better whale risk reduction platform and tools that serve your constituents.
Our 2026 Roadmap
The path ahead
Improve and Expand the Whale Alert Platform
Whale Alert, the citizen-science whale sighting and information app for web/iOS/Android, has achieved a lot in 2025, with 50k new users, expansion to Europe, support for Spanish, and major usability improvements.
URGENT ACTION: Complete the survey to guide improvements for all mariners
User Accounts customized to your organizational needs
We know every organization has specific requirements, and with partner input, we are planning and building a flexible data sharing network that can integrate with your systems and control when, how and with whom data is shared.
Guide the future of Whale Sightings Data Sharing
SeeReportSave.org: A new portal to connect mariners and boating industries with best practices
Evidence-based best practices with accurate, location-based, timely information to allow confident action on vessels to raise awareness of the presence of whales. With only 384 North Atlantic right whales left, we must act now to inspire outreach and action.
The Inflection Point
Diving into the Numbers
Only 384 North Atlantic right whales remain. Preventing the death of even one whale could keep them from extinction.
Just this year, we’ve reached 50,000 new users, who have submitted over 6,000 sightings. Help us to leverage this work. Partner with us to help reduce whale strikes.
Whale Alert sightings are also now available directly on ship board electronics via the PredictWind datahub for thousands of vessels worldwide, with more integrations planned for 2026.
Thanks to support from IFAW France and the EU Commission, we now have dedicated outreach in Europe with a focus on commercial mariners and yachtsmen. Through our NFWF Grant and the support of partners like you, we believe we can achieve more to reduce whale strikes in 2026 than ever before.
How You Can Help
Getting Involved
Complete the Survey before Nov. 15
We have a lot of work ahead:
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Bridging data gaps – connecting siloed whale, vessel, and management measure datasets.
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Bridging trust gaps – building shared standards for data access, attribution, and governance.
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Bridging operational gaps – integrating whale-risk data directly into navigation systems and putting actionable information in the hands of all mariners.
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Bridging heart and action – helping mariners, researchers, and policymakers align compassion for whales with practical, balanced solutions.
Without input from key partners like you, we can’t serve the needs of everyone in our community.
Become an Active Partner
Contribute what you can to this initiative, tell us how we can serve your constituents better, and let’s make the ocean a better place for people and whales.
