Some of the most compelling policy work doesn’t start in Washington. It starts in the water.
Shepherd Strategies is proud to work with the provider of the world’s leading long-range, AI-powered, expert-verified whale detection and noise impact mitigation system—a platform that delivers 24/7 real-time alerts to maritime operators and has been deployed globally since 2020.
Our engagement is focused on helping this client navigate active federal rulemaking and build the stakeholder relationships necessary to ensure that proven conservation technology earns its place in national policy.
This is not a concept or prototype but a system that is operational, deployed globally, and producing results in real marine environments, including in challenging sea and low-visibility conditions where human observers cannot reliably perform.
300,000+ Whale detections | 417,000+ Hours at sea |
800,000+ Nautical miles protected | Up to 7 km Detection range giving operators sufficient lead time to reduce speed, alter course, or notify project teams. |
Near Zero False alerts, verified through an expert review process | 90%+ Reduction in vessel strike risk |
The system serves vessel operators, offshore energy developers, marine construction projects, port authorities, or any operation that shares the water with marine mammals and bears regulatory and ethical responsibility for those encounters.
Customer Validation
One major shipping line customer described the platform this way:
The technology had been refined to meet zero-false-alert requirements, and crews were already using it enthusiastically to help protect whales.
As NOAA’s active rulemaking around vessel operations and marine mammal protection continues to evolve, the regulatory stakes for maritime operators are rising. The rules being shaped right now will determine what technologies are recognized, what reporting standards are required, and how compliance is measured across the industry.
Shepherd Strategies is working with this client to analyze that rulemaking environment—understanding the comment process, mapping the stakeholder landscape, and identifying the decision-makers and industry voices whose engagement will matter most. Our role is to ensure that the people shaping these policies understand what is already possible, so that the regulatory framework reflects the capabilities that exist today rather than a baseline set before this technology was in the water.
This work is forward-looking. It is about building the relationships and making the case now, while the policy is still being written.
What makes this client’s story compelling from a policy standpoint is that it sidesteps the usual conservation-versus-commerce tension entirely. The cost of an undetected whale isn’t just an environmental consequence. It’s a vessel on standby, a timeline slipping, a permit at risk. This technology addresses all of it at once.
Conservation Protect marine mammals through proven detection technology. | Commerce Reduce operational delays, permitting risks, and unnecessary vessel downtime. |
That’s a message that resonates across the aisle and across industries. Conservation advocates, maritime operators, offshore energy developers, and coastal regulators all have something to gain from a proven detection system becoming the recognized standard. Shepherd Strategies approaches this engagement the same way we approach every policy environment: by focusing on the facts, building the right relationships, and making a clear, credible case to the people who need to hear it.
The technology is proven. The regulatory moment is here. And the argument that protecting whales and sustaining commerce can coexist has never been easier to make.
ABOUT SHEPHERD STRATEGIES
At Shepherd Strategies, we specialize in navigating complex regulatory and policy environments to help clients achieve impactful outcomes—whether in maritime technology, economic development, healthcare, clean energy, or community revitalization.
Policy Strategy • Government Relations • Economic Development
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