Sharrow Marine tests quieter propellers to cut ship noise for whales

Sharrow Marine has developed looped-blade propellers that reduce cavitation and underwater noise by up to 7 decibels in the 20–300 Hz range whales use to communicate. The company is partnering with Ocean Alliance to test the propellers on research expeditions near whales.

• Sharrow propellers cut underwater noise by up to 7 dB in the 20–300 Hz range
• Ship cavitation drowns out whale calls across hundreds of miles
• Each 1 dB of noise cuts an orca's chance of catching fish by 12.5%
• Tests with Ocean Alliance will run on expeditions near whales