# Global Hotspots of Whale–Ship Collision Risk: A Multi-Species Framework Integrating Critical Habitat Zonation and Shipping Pressure for Conservation Prioritization

## TL;DR

This study identifies global hotspots where whales and ships collide, showing that coastal areas are most at risk and suggesting targeted conservation strategies to reduce these collisions.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a multi-species framework integrating shipping pressure and critical habitat data to prioritize conservation actions for whale protection.

## Key findings

- High shipping pressure and collision risk are concentrated in coastal waters and exclusive economic zones.
- Critical multi-species collision hotspots were identified in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northeast Asian seas.
- Most high-risk areas lack protective measures despite significant overlap with marine protected areas.

## Abstract

The expansion of global maritime activities threatens marine ecosystems, particularly through ship collisions with vulnerable keystone species like whales, though the most impacted regions and species remain unclear. This study analyzed global shipping data to identify areas of high shipping pressure and whale–ship collision hotspots. The results show high shipping pressure and collision risk primarily occur within coastal waters. Furthermore, critical collision hotspots posing risks to multiple whale species simultaneously were identified in regions such as the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northeast Asian seas. However, most of these high-risk areas currently lack protective measures. These findings provide crucial spatial priorities for targeted conservation strategies, such as mandatory speed restrictions and dynamic vessel routing in critical multi-species hotspots. Focusing interventions on these key areas can help mitigate whale mortality, enhance marine biodiversity protection, and support the sustainable coexistence of shipping and vulnerable marine megafauna.

The expansion of global maritime activities threatens marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Collisions between ships and marine megafauna profoundly impact vulnerable species such as whales, who serve as keystone predators. However, the specific regions most heavily affected by shipping traffic and the multi-species facing collision risk remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed global shipping data to assess the distribution of areas with high shipping pressure and identify global hotspots for whale–ship collisions. The results reveal that high-pressure habitats are primarily distributed within exclusive economic zones (EEZs), which are generally consistent with the distribution of collision hotspots. High-pressure habitats exhibit significant spatial mismatch: 32.9% of Marine Protected Areas endure high shipping stress and yet occupy merely 1.25% of protected ocean area. Additionally, 25.1% of collision hotspots (top 1% risk) affect four or more whale species, forming critical aggregation in regions like the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northeast Asian marginal seas. Most of these high-risk areas lack protective measures. These findings offer actionable spatial priorities for implementing targeted conservation strategies, such as the introduction of mandatory speed restrictions and dynamic vessel routing in high-risk, multi-species hotspots. By focusing on critical aggregation areas, these strategies will help mitigate whale mortality and enhance marine biodiversity protection, supporting the sustainable coexistence of maritime activities with vulnerable marine megafauna.