Two kilometers of fiber-optic cable were laid in the Haro Strait in October 2025, giving University of Washington researchers a new way to monitor Southern Resident orcas in real time.
Distributed acoustic sensing sends laser pulses through the cable to detect vibrations, effectively turning the line into a long underwater sensor that can pinpoint whale movements and behavior.
The two-year project targets a population of just 74 whales, whose survival has been hit by scarce Chinook salmon, pollution and ship noise that disrupts echolocation used for hunting.
If the system can capture the higher-frequency signals orcas produce, researchers say the data could guide ferry, construction or other human activity when whales are nearby and expand the use of existing seafloor cables.
If fiber-optic cables can track silent whales, will this real-time data force immediate rerouting of commercial ships in busy waterways like the Haro Strait?
Could turning global internet cables into giant underwater microphones accidentally expose sensitive maritime security operations while trying to save endangered orcas?
Does tracking endangered orcas with lasers address their core survival threats, or merely document their decline as they starve from a lack of salmon?