Protection for recreational sailors from whales and cephalopods at last

Recent endangering of recreational sail and motor craft by whales,dolphins and other cephalopods have given rise to my interest in the researching and developement of a cephalopod deterent.
E-WACK sea-tasar system ready for deployment on coastal whale migration is under developement in the interests of safety at sea. The espousing of corporal punishment to educate whales of the dangers of approaching marine craft is, I feel a requirement.

Due to protection and an unchecked breeding programme, Whales are becoming a systemic navigation hazard along the eastern and western coasts of Australia. The degree of the hazard is rising and will continue to do so. There have been injuries to sailors,damage to valuable equipment, interference in ocean race fleets and it is only a matter of time before a life is lost.

The Electronic Whale Aversion Conditioning Kinetics (E-WACK)is to remind the whales to stay away. "Once being lightly electrocuted/shocked by the marine launched tasar, the whale reacts immediately."

Secret small scale tests on smaller cephalopods such as dolphins and porpoises in Coastal Harbours and Bass Strait have proved encouraging, with the 'zapped' creatures subsequently displaying a distinct reluctance to approach or engage in 'close proximity behaviour' with vessels.

"Dolphins display an aversion memory after only a few sea-tasar strikes; porpoises seem to require at least 4 direct full voltage strikes but the number of strikes required to embed aversion behaviour in whales varies dramatically amongst the species.

We need to experiment with electrocuting/shock treating the full cephalopod species range to calibrate the ideal level of shock required."

Experiments are continuing with the humpback whale to ascertain the correct voltage.

"The difficulty we face is simply, too high a voltage and we burn the animal flesh or worse, stun them into paralysis, which just keeps the other whales in the vicinity and brings the sharks in for a feed. Too little a charge and the whales, particularly the young males, display clear signs of physical excitement, which appears to have the opposite effect of discouraging them from 'close proximity behaviour' with vessels. "

E-WACK goal is to provide the whales with a direct life-link between boats and pain.

"No more than slapping a recalcitrant child" said Mr Leigh

The sea-tasar unit can be launched by a single crew member from the deck and the deployment apparatus weighs less than 12 kgs.

The strike range is 200 metres thus limiting the danger to the vessel while undertaking sea-tasar manoeuvrers amongst a pod of whales.

E-WACK Programme Director Raymond Leigh will be a guest on the Audi Sailors Radio Show (8:oo am – Sydney -107.3fm) this weekend to garnish support amongst the Australian sailing community. He is seeking a volunteer fleet of up to 1000 boats if possible, and the support has been amazing, to participate in a calibration programme for humpback whales scheduled to start in the 2008 northern migration.

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