Two endangered Southern Resident killer whales rise in unison from the Salish Sea as a tanker passes through their critical habitat along the Canada-US border. Credit : beamreach.org

February 2^nd, 2016. When an endangered orca is in hot pursuit of an endangered salmon, sending out clicks and listening for their echoes in the murky ocean near Seattle, does the noise from the nearby shipping lane interfere with them catching dinner? To find out scientists measured underwater noise as ships passed their study site 3,000 times. This unprecedented characterization of ship noise will aid in the understanding of the potential effects on marine life, and help with possible mitigation strategies.