Michel André

Michel André, French biologist and specialist in cetacean bio-acoustics, visits the Canary Islands. Canary Islands, Spain, 2002

André balances the bow of a sailboat off the Canary Islands where ship collisions kill at least up to 10 whales every year. Canary Islands, Spain, 2002

André devised a system to detect whales using buoys equipped with sophisticated sensors.

André points to a group of sperm whales near the water’s surface. Canary Islands, Spain, 2002

About 25 high-speed ferries shuttle tourists between Las Palmas and Santa Cruz each day. Canary Islands, Spain, 2002

An injured sperm whale suffers after a collision. The latest fast ferries ride on sharp blades capable of slicing through whales as well as waves.

Scientists carry out an autopsy of a sperm whale, where it was washed ashore. Many injured or dead whales, however, are lost at sea.

André (left) studies the ears of whales that have died in collisions. He found they were unable to hear low-frequency ship noise.

André’s Whale Anti-Collision System is depicted in this diagram.

To save whales from collisions with ships, French Biologist Michel André has devised the Whale Anti-Collision System, which detects the animals by their distinctive songs and warns ships of their presence.

The antenna, a key element of the Whale Anti-Collision System developed by André, is lowered into the water. These first tests were carried out aboard the fishing vessel Moline, off the Spanish coast, near Barcelona. Spain, June 2005

Michel André listens to the underwater sounds captured by hydrophones during tests of the prototype of the Whale Anti-Collision System. These first tests were carried out aboard the fishing vessel Moline, off the Spanish coast, near Barcelona. Spain, June 2005

A diver inspects the antenna 20m below the surface. The antenna is a key element of the Whale Anti-Collision System developed by André. Spain, June 2005

Cruising beneath the surface, this sperm whale may or may not hear an approaching ship. Thanks to the Whale-Anti-Collision System devised by André, vessels can be warned when whales are present.