Marine conservation measures including shipping lane changes and fishing gear modification protect whale welfare by reducing entanglement, ship strike, and acoustic pollution.
Human activities in the ocean cause multiple forms of welfare harm to cetaceans simultaneously. Ship strikes cause violent deaths. Entanglement causes prolonged suffering and drowning. Acoustic pollution chronically impairs communication and feeding that affects reproductive success and nutrition. The most impactful welfare interventions including shipping route changes and vessel speed restrictions require international coordination but benefit populations of thousands of individuals.