When I helped found FarSounder 24 years ago, our motivations came from an environmental perspective: “Can we develop a technology that can help vessels avoid hitting rocks causing oil spills, and avoid whales causing ship strikes?”. Today, our 3D forward-looking sonar products are being used by vessels around the world exactly for these types of applications. These products didn’t materialise magically. Rather, my team and I spent years researching, developing, testing and improving the technology.

Whales have fascinated humanity for millennia, inspiring myths, music, and maritime culture. Anyone who has had the rare opportunity to witness these majestic creatures up close knows that it’s an awe-inspiring and deeply emotional experience. However, a number of whale species are shockingly close to the brink of extinction, and ship strikes are a leading cause.

The yachting industry thrives on exploration, luxury, and the experience of sailing through some of the most pristine waters on the planet. Yet, with this privilege comes responsibility. As stewards of the sea, yacht owners, captains, and crew must be proactive in marine conservation efforts in one of the biggest challenges vessels can face: avoiding collisions with whales—some of the planet’s most magnificent yet endangered creatures.

FarSounder is excited to announce the release of a new citizen science feature in its latest SonaSoft™ software update. Building on its existing Data Sharing Program, this release introduces the ability for users to report whale sightings and floating trash/debris—further integrating marine conservation into day-to-day navigation for Argos users.

Vessels have many sensors onboard – GPS, radar and depth sonar being the most common – none of which give you accurate real-time information about transient objects or shifting underwater scapes such as sandbanks. So we set out to develop a product that filled that gap.