**Whales Confront a Triple Threat: Underwater Noise Pollution, Toxic Contaminants, and Food Scarcity**
Published on October 15, 2025 • 4-minute read
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Researchers from the University of Washington have deployed a 1.3-mile fiber-optic cable to investigate whether internet cables can detect the vocalizations of endangered orcas near San Juan Island, Washington, on Friday, October 10, 2025. Photo by Annika Hammerschlag / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN JUAN ISLAND, Wash. — As dawn broke over San Juan Island, a team of scientists stood on a barge, carefully unspooling over a mile of fiber-optic cable into the chilly waters of the Salish Sea. Working under headlamps, they fed the cable from the rocky shore down to the seafloor, where the region’s orcas reside.
The goal is to determine if the delicate strands that transmit internet signals can be repurposed into a continuous underwater microphone capable of capturing the clicks, calls, and whistles of passing whales. This data could provide insights into how these marine mammals respond to ship traffic, food shortages, and climate change. If successful, the extensive network of fiber-optic cables already laid across the ocean floor could be transformed into a vast listening system to aid global conservation efforts.
The technology, known as Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), was originally developed for monitoring pipelines and detecting infrastructure issues. Now, scientists at the University of Washington are adapting it for oceanic use. Unlike traditional hydrophones that capture sound from a single location, DAS utilizes the entire cable as a sensor, enabling precise tracking of an animal’s location and direction.
“We can envision having thousands of hydrophones along the cable continuously recording data,” said Shima Abadi, a professor at the University of Washington Bothell School of STEM and the University of Washington School of Oceanography. “This will allow us to better understand where the animals are and learn about their migration patterns, far surpassing what traditional hydrophones can offer.”
The researchers have already demonstrated the technology’s effectiveness with large baleen whales. In a test off the Oregon coast, they successfully recorded the low-frequency sounds of fin whales and blue whales using existing telecommunications cables. However, orcas pose a greater challenge.