May 19, 2015: Since 2008, Jaeger-LeCoultre and UNESCO have been working together to protect 47 marine sites appearing on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Every year, Jaeger-LeCoultre pays tribute to a marine site appearing on the UNESCO World Heritage list. This year, the spotlight is on Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, located on the Canadian border of Alaska.
As Scott Gende, Senior Scientific Advisor of Glacier Bay, explains: “The scientific research conducted there is of the uttermost importance. The zone was declared an American national monument in 1925 due to the unique possibility it affords of studying the succession of glacial periods. That is why the project leaders at Glacier Bay encourage both general research such as glaciology and the evolution of the landscape, as well as more applied studies focused on the consequences of incursions.”
While humpback whales come to feed in this zone during their migration, collisions with cruise boats have occurred, causing near fatal and sometimes deadly injuries. In 2005, a research program was launched in order to solve this problem.
Since then, all boats entering the park have been inspected by the onsite teams. This project is the first one of this amplitude to constantly gather data on the interaction between boats and the large marine mammals. As they begin exploring the park, the boats have marine mammal biologists on board who are able to detect every whale in the zone using special binoculars. As soon as a whale is spotted, an automatic message is sent to the captain, allowing him to adjust his route and speed. The results of this endeavour have served to establish a new set of navigation rules in the Glacier Bay area that have considerably reduced the risks for the humpback whales, making this unique place a true refuge for them.
Jaeger-LeCoultre has also made a special video to highlight the beauty and significance of this marine park.
