The Whale CHARTS Act of 2024 requires the Secretary of Commerce to create detailed distribution maps for baleen whales and sperm whales in U.S. waters, showing where these animals feed, breed, migrate, and spend time. The maps will use the best available scientific information and incorporate new technologies like satellite imagery and underwater acoustic monitoring to track whale populations, with predictions for how their distributions may shift due to changing environmental conditions. The legislation also directs the Secretary to conduct surveys focused on understudied whale species to better understand their numbers and habitats. The bill authorizes $2 million annually for five years to create and update the distribution maps and $1 million annually for surveys of lesser-known whale populations. These maps will be made available to the public and to shipping vessels in electronic formats that can be integrated into navigation systems to help prevent collisions and inform maritime safety decisions.
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