Tracking whales in ports such as Long Beach has historically been an arduous task, dependent on outdated data sheets and daily boat rides. While both methods did alert shipping vessels to the last known location of whales, neither was available in a timely enough manner to make the information relevant. Now, thanks to the free Whale Alert app, tracking is much easier for cargo ships and other vessels heading toward the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

“Whales are important both ecologically and economically, but they face a variety of threats, including ship strikes,” said Michael Carver, deputy superintendent of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, in an NOAA press release. “Whale Alert allows citizens to provide data scientists can use to inform management and better protect whale populations.”

Developed in partnership with public and private sectors, Whale Alert is offered on app stores for the iPhone and iPad by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. The app was first launched in April 2012 to help protect endangered right whales on the East Coast, but with the expansion of the app to the West Coast and an updated 2.0 version, the public is now able to log sightings of live, dead or injured whales on either coast. Data can be uploaded quickly and easily to notify vessels of whale presence, which gives the ships time to slow down in order to avoid striking a whale.

In addition to its tracking abilities, the app features information about California marine protected areas and Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) tide and weather data.