Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine 24-3 - 61

North Atlantic Right Whales
Preservation: A New Challenge for
Internet of Underwater Things and
Smart Ocean-Based Systems
Rodolfo W. L. Coutinho and Azzedine Boukerche

N

orth Atlantic Right Whales (NARWs) are at a dangerous risk of extinction. Nowadays, there are
approximately 360 individuals. These animals have
been listed in the Endangered Species Act since 1970. While
whaling was the principal source of risk for the survival of right
whales in the past centuries, their current threats are vessel
strikes, entanglements, and degradation of their habitats. Hence,
protection measurements have taken place in Canada and the
United States, where they are encountered, aimed at reducing
the mortality of these marine mammals and increasing their
population. In this regard, instrumentation technologies have
been used for detecting and
tracking of NARWs, as well
as for monitoring their environment. In this paper, we
discuss some of the current
methods and instruments
used for the detection and
monitoring of NARWs, and
we shed light on the advantages and disadvantages of
each method and employed
sensing instruments. Furthermore, we highlight
the potential of networked
sensing instruments and
envisioned Internet of Underwater Things (IoUTs) for
improving the performance
of NARW monitoring and
data collection, with the
objective of guiding and
supporting efficient meas u re s a n d p o l i c i e s f o r
p ro t e c t i n g t h e N A RW
population.
Fig. 1. Basic information of NARWs.

NARW: The Big Picture
North Atlantic Right Whales (NARWs), scientifically named
of Eubalaena glacialis, are one of the rarest of all great whales
living in the coastal areas of Canada and the United States
(Fig. 1). NARWs are seasonal migratory animals that travel
from eastern Florida, U.S., to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and
Newfoundland, Canada, and spend part of the summer and
autumn months feeding and socializing in the lower Bay of
Fundy and in Roseway Basin on the western Scotian Shelf
[1]. These animals reach the Gulf of St. Lawrence through the
Cabot Strait, which has busy shipping lanes between Cape

This work is partially supported by the NSERC DISCOVERY, NSERC CREATE TRANSIT and
Canada Research Chairs Programs.
May 2021	

IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine	61
1094-6969/21/$25.00©2021IEEE



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