Sei whales are among the most commercially exploited whale species historically and continue to face welfare threats from ship strikes and entanglement in recovery.
Ship strikes cause death from massive blunt force trauma or propeller lacerations. Whales do not appear to reliably detect or respond to vessel noise, meaning avoidance behaviour cannot be relied upon. Mandatory vessel slow-down measures in critical habitat and whale detection sonar systems on large vessels can reduce strike risk. Recovery of a species from near-extinction means each welfare loss from ship strike is a significant conservation setback.