Instructions:

This module introduces the relationship between global shipping routes and whale migration patterns, providing users with the foundational knowledge needed to understand the broader impacts of maritime commerce on whale life. The module’s interactive map shows colour-coded shipping routes alongside major whale migration patterns. The various popup windows include research-based information, media, and interesting facts about whale-vessel interactions; many of the facts are specific to the geographical region in which the popup window is located on the map. Users are encouraged to explore the map, click on the various information buttons, and learn about how whale life is constantly impacted by global maritime commerce.

Critical Lens & TVC Reappropriation:

Another important consideration regarding this module is its connections to theoretical technological ideas. Gaskins’ (2021) ideas of techno-vernacular creativity reappropriation (or TVC reappropriation) involve repurposing artifacts from their original context in ways that challenge dominant ways of thinking. This module applies the idea of TVC reappropriation by taking existing ship traffic maps and relocalizing them to the context of whale life and well-being. In doing so, we are not only bringing awareness to the threats whales face during migration, but also challenging the very dominant Western norms that situate human life and human consumption as superior to wildlife. Our hope is that users will reflect on their own consumption habits in light of the dangers confronting ocean habitats and, more specifically, whales.

Shipping Channels:

This module explores five main channels that make up a majority of the worldwide shipping activities. These routes include the English Channel, the Malacca Strait, the Magellan Strait, the Hormouz Strait, the Mozambique Channel, and the Panama Canal. Each of these channels and waterways hosts hundreds of vessels per day and simultaneously disrupts the feeding and migratory patterns of various species of whales and other ocean animals. Click on the buttons below to learn more about how these mammals are impacted along the major shipping routes.

Whale-Ship Collisions:

Ship strikes are a growing global threat to whale populations. Collision risk depends not only on where whales and vessels overlap, but also on factors such as vessel size, speed, maritime contamination, noise pollution, and traffic density. Large ships traveling along major shipping routes – like cargo vessels and industrial fishing fleets – are particularly dangerous because collisions often cause severe or fatal injuries (Bedriñana-Romano, 2021). It is estimated that around 20,000 whales are killed each year by vessel strikes worldwide, with large species such as blue, fin, humpback and gray whales most commonly affected (Gavigan, 2025).

Rising Conservation Concerns:

The true scale of the problem is likely much higher than reported because many collisions go undocumented due to limited monitoring and whales often sinking or drifting away after death. Increasing shipping activity and climate-driven changes in ocean ecosystems are also altering whale migration routes as whales search for feeding and breeding areas, bringing them into closer contact with busy shipping corridors (Casiker, 2018; Guzman et al., 2020). As a result of these combined pressures, six of the thirteen great whale species are now classified as endangered or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): the blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, sperm whale, North Pacific gray whale, and North Atlantic right whale. Among these, the North Atlantic right whale is the most at risk and is currently listed as critically endangered. This highlights the urgent need to better understand and reduce ship-whale collision risks and mitigate harms against ocean life in order to preserve these populations (Johnson et al., 2022).