Developing a whale-avoidance training curriculum for cruise ship pilots and deck officers operating in and near Glacier Bay National Park | P20AS00062

Opportunity Information: Apply for P20AS00062

The National Park Service (Department of the Interior) grant opportunity titled "Developing a whale-avoidance training curriculum for cruise ship pilots and deck officers operating in and near Glacier Bay National Park" is focused on reducing lethal ship strikes on humpback whales in and around Glacier Bay. Cruise ships account for more than 95 percent of park visitors, and visiting tidewater glaciers requires transits through waters that are also heavily used by humpback whales. Because whales frequently surface along these routes, close encounters are common. The park documented that from 2006 to 2015, cruise ships had whales surface within 1,000 meters of the bow on more than 70 percent of visits, and some of these encounters have led to fatal collisions both inside the park and in adjacent waters used by whales that regularly frequent Glacier Bay. Reducing the risk of cruise ship-whale collisions is therefore treated as a priority management objective.

The project is driven by a practical gap in mariner training. Cruise ships entering Glacier Bay are typically under the direction of an Alaska state-licensed marine pilot, supported by a bridge team of company deck officers such as the captain, mates, helmsman, and lookouts. While these professionals routinely receive training to prevent groundings and to avoid collisions with other vessels, there has not been an equivalent, comprehensive training program aimed specifically at avoiding whales. Experienced pilots described a set of best practices they were developing, referred to as "active whale avoidance," which includes tactics like planning transits at reduced speeds, narrowing visual attention to a defined "Cone of Concern," and executing course changes in response to a whale sighting. Without standardized training, less experienced mariners may dismiss whale avoidance as unrealistic or may only learn effective techniques through years of trial and error.

To address this, the grant supports development of a structured whale-avoidance curriculum designed for use in full-mission bridge simulators, comparable in concept to flight simulators used to train aviators. The training package is intended to let mariners practice detecting whales and making safe, realistic decisions under varied operational constraints, without putting whales or vessels at risk. The curriculum deliverables are clearly defined: (1) a realistic surfacing whale graphic suitable for simulator environments, (2) scripted simulator modules that create repeatable training scenarios, (3) a short instructional video, and (4) a "train-the-trainer" video so the program can be taught consistently by instructors over time.

A key technical element is that the simulated whale behavior and visuals are supposed to be grounded in whale science and in the actual cues mariners use on the water. That includes features like spout height, opacity, persistence, and other observable indicators that help bridge teams detect whales and infer direction of travel. Using those graphics, the project will create scripted simulator scenarios where trainees encounter one or more surfacing whales during a transit. Scenarios are expected to increase in complexity, for example by varying the whale's distance and bearing, adjusting how certain the whale's direction of travel appears, adding navigational constraints like proximity to shoals, introducing traffic from other vessels, and presenting multiple whales surfacing in different locations at the same time. The idea is to train not just basic spotting, but real-time decision-making that balances whale avoidance with safe navigation.

The work is planned over a three-year period and emphasizes collaboration between practitioners and scientists. The curriculum will combine avoidance techniques developed by experienced pilots with input from park biologists who understand humpback whale behavior in Glacier Bay. The effort is to be carried out through partnerships with the Southeast Alaska Pilots Association (SEAPA), representing the pilots who bring ships into Glacier Bay and nearby waters; the Maritime Pilot's Institute (MPI), a training provider where many SEAPA pilots and cruise ship deck officers can train using bridge simulators; and Locus LLC, a research and development organization specializing in mariner training products and methods, including the use of scaled ship models to refine maneuvering techniques.

Administratively, this opportunity was issued as a discretionary cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.944, aligned with education, environment, natural resources, and transportation goals. The award ceiling is $430,000 with one expected award. It is also explicitly a notice of intent to award to the Maritime Pilot's Institute, meaning it is not an open competition: applications are not accepted from other entities. The notice was created April 16, 2020, with an original closing date of April 22, 2020. Eligible applicants are described as 501(c)(3) nonprofits other than institutions of higher education, but the intent-to-award language indicates the recipient is predetermined for this specific action. The practical outcome the NPS is seeking is a deployable, simulator-based training program that can be used to teach and standardize active whale avoidance behaviors among pilots and deck officers, ultimately reducing the likelihood of fatal humpback whale strikes during Glacier Bay cruise ship transits.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, environment, natural resources, transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Developing a whale-avoidance training curriculum for cruise ship pilots and deck officers operating in and near Glacier Bay National Park" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.944.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 16, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 22, 2020 This is a notice of intent to award to Maritime Pilotaposs Institute. Applications will not be accepted from any other entity.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $430,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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