About
Founded in 2018, Whale Seeker develops AI-driven solutions for marine mammal and seabird detection, combining human biological expertise with computer vision technology. Their flagship products — Möbius, Möbius Observer, and Cetus — process imagery captured by drones, crewed aircraft, and satellites to automatically identify a wide range of species, including large and small cetaceans, porpoises, seals, walrus, sharks, and penguins, as well as environmental context like ice and rock cover. Whale Seeker serves a diverse client base spanning the energy sector, maritime transport and ports, environmental consulting firms, wildlife conservation organizations, fishing industries, cruise lines, and government policy agencies. The platform is purpose-built for pre- and post-project environmental assessments, construction monitoring, and long-term population studies — both in remote areas and along certified shipping routes. Recognized among the IRCAI 2022 Global Top 100 AI solutions and a Solar Impulse Efficient Solution, Whale Seeker's technology complements passive acoustic monitoring by visually identifying silent or less-vocal individuals and pinpointing exact locations. Their AI models cover behavioral interaction detection and can identify species-specific tracks, making them a leading tool for conservation-focused organizations and regulatory compliance teams worldwide.
Key Features
- Automated Species Detection: AI models identify a broad range of marine species — cetaceans, seals, walrus, sharks, penguins, and seabirds — from drone, aircraft, and satellite imagery with high accuracy.
- 97% Faster Than Manual Review: Dramatically reduces the time biologists spend reviewing imagery, enabling faster reporting for time-sensitive environmental assessments and regulatory permit requirements.
- Multi-Platform Imagery Support: Compatible with imagery from drones, crewed aircraft, and satellites, allowing monitoring across remote areas, project exclusion zones, shorelines, and open ocean.
- Environmental Context Reporting: Beyond species detection, the platform analyzes and reports on land, ice, and rock cover to provide richer environmental context for studies and assessments.
- Certified Route Monitoring: Supports certified shipping route compliance by tracking marine mammal presence along regulated maritime corridors for energy and transport industries.
Use Cases
- Pre- and post-construction environmental impact assessments for offshore energy projects, ensuring compliance with marine mammal protection permits.
- Real-time marine mammal monitoring along certified shipping routes to protect endangered species like the North Atlantic right whale during vessel transit.
- Long-term population studies and behavioral research by academic institutions and government fisheries agencies using drone and satellite survey data.
- Wildlife exclusion zone monitoring for ports, construction sites, and industrial operations requiring proof of species absence before activities commence.
- Conservation program data collection for NGOs tracking cetacean, seal, and seabird populations across large remote ocean territories.
Pros
- Massive Time Savings: Processing imagery at 97% faster rates than manual detection frees biologists to focus on analysis and conservation strategy rather than tedious frame-by-frame review.
- Broad Species & Habitat Coverage: Detects a wide range of species across diverse environments — from Arctic ice to open ocean — making it versatile for global conservation and compliance projects.
- Award-Winning, Scientifically Validated: Recognized by IRCAI, Solar Impulse, and UpLink, and validated in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and academic institutions, lending strong credibility.
- Complements Acoustic Monitoring: Visual detection identifies silent or less-vocal individuals that hydrophones may miss, creating a more complete picture of marine mammal presence.
Cons
- Enterprise-Focused Pricing: Designed for governments, industry, and NGOs, meaning pricing and access are likely not suited for individual researchers or small organizations with tight budgets.
- Nighttime Detection Still in Development: Nighttime monitoring capability is listed as 'coming soon,' limiting 24-hour continuous survey operations for now.
- Requires Quality Aerial Imagery Input: Detection accuracy depends on the quality of source imagery; poor weather, low altitude, or suboptimal camera sensors may reduce performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What species can Whale Seeker detect?
Whale Seeker's AI models can detect a wide range of marine species including large and small cetaceans (whales, dolphins), porpoises, seals, walrus, sharks, penguins, and various seabirds. The system also identifies polar bears and their behavioral interactions in Arctic environments.
What imagery sources does Whale Seeker support?
The platform supports imagery from drones (remotely piloted aircraft systems), crewed aircraft, and satellites, making it flexible for surveys across remote areas, coastal zones, shipping lanes, and offshore energy sites.
How does Whale Seeker compare to passive acoustic monitoring (hydrophones)?
Passive acoustic monitoring can miss silent individuals — such as whales protecting young or sleeping — and cannot precisely locate animals. Whale Seeker's visual detection complements hydrophones by identifying these silent individuals and confirming exact locations and species visually.
Who are Whale Seeker's typical clients?
Clients include energy companies, maritime transport operators and port authorities, environmental consulting firms, fisheries agencies, wildlife conservation NGOs, cruise lines, and government policy bodies such as Transport Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Is nighttime detection available?
Daytime detection is fully operational. Nighttime detection is currently in development and listed as 'coming soon,' which will eventually enable round-the-clock environmental monitoring workflows.
