Revolutionizing Ocean Conservation: How Internet Cables Could Be the Orcas’ New Lifeline

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Scientists from the University of Washington are pioneering a groundbreaking method to protect endangered Southern Resident orcas by transforming existing underwater fiber-optic internet cables into a vast acoustic monitoring network, offering unprecedented insights into whale behavior and enabling real-time conservation efforts.

In a groundbreaking initiative that could redefine ocean conservation, scientists are repurposing the globe’s extensive network of underwater fiber-optic cables to create an unparalleled monitoring system for marine life. The primary focus of this innovative project is to safeguard the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas inhabiting the Salish Sea, providing a glimmer of hope for a species facing a multitude of threats.

On a crisp October dawn in 2025, a dedicated team from the University of Washington embarked on a crucial experiment off San Juan Island. They meticulously unspooled over a mile of hair-thin fiber-optic cable into the frigid depths, transforming it into a continuous underwater microphone. This network promises to capture the intricate clicks, calls, and whistles of passing whales, offering vital data on how these majestic creatures navigate the challenges of ship traffic, diminishing food sources, and a changing climate. If successful, the existing 870,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) of undersea cables could evolve into a colossal listening network, bolstering conservation efforts worldwide.

Distributed Acoustic Sensing: The Ears of the Ocean

The technology at the heart of this endeavor is known as Distributed Acoustic Sensing, or DAS. Originally developed to monitor pipelines and detect infrastructure issues, DAS is now being ingeniously adapted by University of Washington scientists to listen to the ocean’s intricate soundscape. Unlike traditional hydrophones, which offer acoustic data from a single fixed point, DAS converts the entire length of a cable into a comprehensive sensor.

This capability allows researchers to pinpoint the exact location of an animal and determine its direction of travel with unprecedented accuracy. Shima Abadi, a professor at the University of Washington Bothell School of STEM and the School of Oceanography, highlights its transformative potential: “We can imagine that we have thousands of hydrophones along the cable recording data continuously. We can know where the animals are and learn about their migration patterns much better than hydrophones.”

Isabelle Brandicourt, a graduate student at the University of Washington School of Oceanography, prepares to deploy a 1.3-mile fiber-optic cable to test whether internet cables can detect endangered orca vocalizations near San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Isabelle Brandicourt, a graduate student, prepares to deploy a section of the fiber-optic cable near San Juan Island.

The research team has already demonstrated the efficacy of DAS with larger marine mammals. In a successful trial off the Oregon coast, they utilized existing telecommunications cables to record the low-frequency rumblings of fin whales and blue whales, as documented by the Ocean Observatories Initiative. However, monitoring orcas presents a unique challenge, as their clicks and calls operate at significantly higher frequencies, a range in which the DAS technology is still undergoing rigorous testing.

The Perilous State of Southern Resident Orcas

The stakes for the Southern Resident orcas are critically high. With a population dwindling to approximately 75 individuals, these iconic marine predators are teetering on the brink of extinction. Their survival is threatened by a devastating “triple threat” impacting their habitat in the Salish Sea:

  • Underwater Noise Pollution: Constant noise from ships and vessels masks the orcas’ echolocation, their primary tool for hunting. This acoustic interference makes it incredibly difficult for them to locate their prey.
  • Toxic Contaminants: Pollution accumulating in their environment compromises their health and reproductive capabilities.
  • Food Scarcity: The dramatic decline of Chinook salmon, the orcas’ staple diet, is a major contributing factor to their struggle.

Scott Veirs, president of Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability, grimly observes the ecological imbalance: “We have an endangered killer whale trying to eat an endangered salmon species.” Since the Pacific Salmon Commission began tracking numbers in 1984, Chinook salmon populations have plummeted by 60%, a decline attributed to habitat loss, overfishing, dams, and climate change, as reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A protective conduit is strung onto the fiber-optic cable on San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
A protective conduit ensures the newly deployed fiber-optic cable remains secure on San Juan Island.

Orcas are renowned for their sophisticated hunting techniques, from “wave washing” to dislodge seals from ice floes to the “carousel” method for stunning schools of fish, as detailed by PBS. However, ship noise significantly interferes with their natural abilities to find food. Recent conservation efforts, such as Washington state’s rule to impose a speed limit of seven knots for vessels within 400 yards of a killer whale, aim to mitigate noise pollution, but a more comprehensive solution is desperately needed.

Dynamic Management and Global Implications

The success of the DAS project could provide conservationists with unprecedented real-time data, enabling dynamic management strategies. For example, if the system detects orcas migrating towards Seattle and calculates their speed, authorities like Washington State Ferries could be alerted to temporarily postpone noisy activities or reduce vessel speeds until the whales have passed. “It will for sure help with dynamic management and long-term policy that will have real benefits for the whales,” Veirs asserts.

An "Orca Crossing" sign is posted on San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
An “Orca Crossing” sign reminds residents and visitors of the vital marine life in the area.

Beyond immediate protective measures, the technology promises to answer fundamental questions about orca behavior that have long puzzled scientists. Researchers hope to discern how orca communication changes in different behavioral states, how they coordinate group hunts, and potentially even develop a “voice recognition” system to identify individual whales by their unique vocalizations.

The implications of this research extend far beyond the Salish Sea. With nearly a million miles of fiber-optic cables already crisscrossing the global ocean floor, the infrastructure for a planet-wide monitoring network largely exists. It simply needs to be activated. Yuta Masuda, director of science at Allen Family Philanthropies, which helped fund the project, underscores the urgency: “One of the most important challenges for managing wildlife, conserving biodiversity and combating climate change is that there’s just a lack of data overall.”

An orca swims past a whale watching boat in the San Juan Islands, Wash., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
A wild orca gracefully navigates the waters near a whale watching boat in the San Juan Islands.

The timing for such advancements is crucial, especially with the High Seas Treaty set to enter into force in January. This treaty will facilitate the establishment of new marine protected areas in international waters. However, without comprehensive data on how human activities impact most ocean species and where protection is most needed, effective implementation remains a challenge. A vast dataset from a global submarine cable network could prove instrumental in prioritizing areas for conservation. “We think this has a lot of promise to fill in those key data gaps,” Masuda concludes.

The Delicate Work and the Waiting Game

The deployment of the fiber-optic cable was a testament to the meticulous and challenging nature of deep-sea research. On the barge, the team faced the delicate task of fusing two hair-thin fibers together amidst the rolling swells of the Salish Sea. This intricate process, involving a fusion splicer to precisely align and melt the fiber ends with an electric current, required steady hands and immense patience, proving successful after multiple attempts.

Isabelle Brandicourt, a graduate student at the University of Washington School of Oceanography, prepares to fuse fibers on a barge off San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Graduate student Isabelle Brandicourt performs the delicate task of fusing fibers on the research barge.

Once connected, data began flowing immediately to a computer on shore, appearing as “waterfall plots”—dynamic visualizations of sound frequencies over time. Researchers also set up cameras, ready to link observed behaviors with specific vocalizations detected by the new system. The final step of the mission was perhaps the hardest: the quiet vigil, waiting for the elusive orcas to make their presence known.

This innovative approach, leveraging existing global infrastructure for ecological preservation, marks a pivotal moment in marine conservation. The success of the Salish Sea experiment could pave the way for a new era of understanding and protecting our planet’s most magnificent ocean dwellers.

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