Impact of shipping on whales
In fact, ship strikes are to blame for 90 percent of Northern right whale deaths for which the cause is known (excluding deaths from natural factors such as old age). However, they are only one of the whale species directly threatened by shipping.
Noise produced by shipping may also be a disturbance to cetaceans, and shipping lanes and ports may exclude whales, dolphins and porpoises from valuable habitat.
WWF is working towards a significant reduction of shipping threats to cetaceans, most notably the reduction of ship collisions with the North Atlantic right whale.