Lighthouses Outfitted with StationKeeper Technology Find New Ways to "Shine"
For centuries, the purpose of a lighthouse has been straightforward – to protect the mariner by any means possible, whether it be with light, sound or daymark. Year after year, the sentinel’s guardianship has proven faithful through darkness, storms and a litany of change brought on by the incessant march of time.
As a whole, society has long been accustomed to the fact that lighthouses warn of navigational dangers, such as rocky ledges or sand bars. So much so that most people believe the usefulness and importance of lighthouses is durably confined as founded – embedded in a tradition of diminishing returns.
We do not readily see the utility of lighthouses adapting in our evolving world. Yes, some lighthouses have hosted weather equipment for decades, while random others have served as data collection platforms for varying focuses and durations. However, expanding upon the protective power of a lighthouse is not a concept that readily springs to mind in this digital age.
In the moment at hand, lighthouses stand sentinel looking outward – still pointing the way to a brighter tomorrow. Their venerable aura is evident, yet we would do well to see lighthouses as protectors that are still becoming.
Want proof this can be? Where once lighthouses could only safeguard life upon the water, thanks to MotionInfo’s StationKeeper technology, they are now able to safeguard marine life beneath the water as well – specifically, the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
MotionInfo, an innovative leader in real-time tracking and monitoring solutions, has created an AIS-based (Automatic Identification System) technology called StationKeeper, which is now at the forefront of helping to protect the North Atlantic right whale. The initiative has the blessing of the United States Coast Guard and is fast becoming an integral component of our nation’s right whale protection efforts through collaborations with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other respected conservation organizations.
So why is the StationKeeper undertaking so important? According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together, “Over the past seven years, 41 North Atlantic right whales have tragically lost their lives, with vessel strikes leading as the most common determinable cause of death. With only about 370 individuals remaining, including 70 breeding females, the species teeters on the brink of extinction.”
Moses Calouro, CEO of MotionInfo, has long observed the alarming predicament of the right whale. “It has been distressing to watch the downward trend in North Atlantic right whale population and we’ve always wanted to help where we could.”
And help in a big way MotionInfo is! Leveraging passion, talents and a high-tech acumen, MotionInfo has not only created a meaningful solution for a critical issue, they are also demonstrating an unwavering commitment to deploy StationKeeper expeditiously far and wide. The company’s goal is to expand the StationKeeper’s AIS-based network to cover the entire East Coast, in an effort “to provide an additional level of protection for the North Atlantic right whale and the mariner,” says Calouro.
You may wonder how the StationKeeper unit knows when whales are in the vicinity. So here is some insight on how it works. “Data on where the whales are is gathered through aerial surveys, acoustic monitoring, suction cup tagging and sightings sponsored by scientists, conservancy groups and NOAA,” says MotionInfo. “This information is used to determine Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs) or speed management zones. We then build geofences or digital outlines, with appropriate dates the SMAs created by NOAA, for messaging.”
As for the StationKeeper unit itself, a lightweight (20-pounds), weather-tight box, houses the system’s state-of-the-art electronic software that can operate on either electric or solar power. This compact marvel packs quite a swift information punch by delivering targeted safety messages and navigation data directly to vessels (65-feet and larger) transiting whale habitats in real-time.
According to the IFAW, “Alerts include crucial messages such as ‘you are entering,’ ‘you are leaving,’ or ‘you are going over the speed limit’ (10-knots) in regions with recent whale sightings and zones with mandatory or voluntary speed limits. These alerts, transmitted in both narrative and electronic navigation formats, appear directly on vessel navigation systems, prompting immediate action.”
Do mariners take appropriate action after receiving a StationKeeper alert? Based on a 2024 NOAA Stellwagen Bank (National Marine Sanctuary) pilot project in Cape Cod Bay, the answer is a resounding, yes! Eighty-five percent of the vessels transiting within the boundaries of the pilot project slowed to the maximum speed when notified.
There are many different types of StationKeeper host sites located from Maine to Florida, but none are more majestic – and more impactful when factoring in the general public, than a lighthouse. Protecting the North Atlantic right whale is paramount, but MotionInfo is also seeking to cultivate a stronger conservation ethic among young and old alike – and lighthouses are a wonderful conduit to enhancing awareness for responsible environmental stewardship.
StationKeeper technology has also been mounted on skeletal towers and in remote places where few humans tread. The importance of these units is vital – their performance, just as steadfast as those inside a lighthouse. Yet there is something most of those sites do not possess. An irresistible charm!
It’s not that the more unassuming sites are lesser in any way, it’s just that lighthouses offer something more. Through their beauty, history and mystery, lighthouses beckon people to come near and immerse themselves in a world of fun-learning. Once experienced, a visit to a lighthouse is not soon forgotten.
Nearly everyone wants to climb to the top of a lighthouse so that they can admire the gorgeous panoramic views that stretch as far as the eye can see. While topside, visitors typically learn about the sentinel’s storied legacy, its guiding light and – for those lighthouses outfitted with StationKeeper, how these storied guardians of the sea are gaining new powers to help safeguard marine life and their environments.
For the countless thousands of people who visit lighthouses, the educational opportunity as it relates to conservation in action, is a stellar one! As MotionInfo notes, “Conservation isn’t just a word – it’s a signal, a warning, a difference.”
Even the artwork that graces the access door of StationKeeper units is alluring. In fact, the graphics are downright fascinating – so much so that people proactively ask lighthouse volunteers to explain the purpose of the box. Presto! A door into learning is opened, with a sense of wow sure to follow.
Lighthouse visitors love to learn about seabirds, seals, and of course, whales. The presence of StationKeeper inside a lighthouse certainly enhances the purpose of these altruistic edifices, but it also emphasizes the importance of protecting endangered marine mammals like the North Atlantic right whale. Collaboration never looked so fine, so inspiring, and so effective!
There is also an historical irony to share regarding the mission of StationKeeper. Lighthouse aficionados are quite familiar with the Argand lamp, which was invented by Swiss chemist Aimé Argand in 1780 and patented in 1784. The oil lamp, consisting of a circular wick and glass chimney, produced a much brighter light, and cleaner flame, than candles. The Argand lamp revolutionized lighting in homes, municipal buildings, along streets – and in lighthouses.
However, the principal illuminating agent for the Argand lamp was whale oil. Lighthouses of the advanced world, including those in England, Scotland, France, Ireland and the United States, used whale oil as the primary fuel for their guiding beacons of the sea.
Sperm and right whales were two species hunted for their oil, with the right whale yielding a larger quantity of oil than the sperm (or cachalot) and the bowhead whale. In fact, the right whale received its name for being “right” to hunt due to their slow speed and tendency to float after death.
By 1832, France adopted colza in place of sperm oil as a lighthouse illuminant, and in 1845, the lighthouses of Great Britain followed suit. This change from whale oil to colza and other types of oils was spurred on by a couple of factors.
One was the increased demand for oil as the Argand lamp moved from the sole realms of the government and wealthy to the general population. The upward demand caused whale oil prices to rise, which prompted the industrious to find affordable substitutes for ordinary uses. For instance, once the refining process for colza or rape-seed oil was improved, it became an adequate replacement for whale oil at about half the cost.
The other factor was the incredible harm being inflicted upon the whale populations. As the abundance of whales disappeared, so too did the whale fishery decline. At the time, it was not conservation considerations that initiated the collapse of the whaling industry, but rather over hunting and economics. Once the whale population decreased, and scientific advancements in the use of petroleum products and other oils emerged, it spelled the end for this industry of ancient origin.
Regarding lighthouses, though nations such as France and Great Britain moved on from using whale oil by 1832 and 1845 respectively, the United States was slow to follow. This was due in part to the difficulty of obtaining rape-seed oil in America, but also because the whaling industry was an important component of our young country’s national economic welfare.
For example, in 1846 there were 735 U.S. vessels employed in the whaling industry, as opposed to 38 by 1902. At the height of the American whaling industry, 300 vessels were engaged in the capture of whales, securing 100,000 barrels of oil annually.
However, as the 1850s gave way to the 1860s, lard and colza oils were introduced as illuminants in the lighthouses of the United States – both of which were replaced by petroleum-based products (specifically kerosene) during the mid-to-late 1870s.
In a 1903 U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries report, Charles H. Stevenson noted, “Whale oils were the first of all oils – animal or mineral – to achieve commercial importance, and for fully a century the whale fishery ranked as one of the principal industries of America. Indeed it was of far greater relative value in the industrial wealth of the country than the petroleum industries are at the present time.”
Back in the beginning of the nineteenth century, one could scarcely imagine the day when lighthouses protected whales rather than benefit from them. Talk about destiny coming full circle with not a moment to spare! As MotionInfo notes, right whales “only number approximately 370 individuals after being the “right whale” to hunt in the 1700s when their numbers were over 21,000.”
However, despite the best efforts of conservationists, the North Atlantic right whale is still facing serious threats to its very existence due in part to vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglement. “During migration of the North American right whale from their calving grounds in Florida and Georgia to the Gulf of Maine, one of the principal issues is vessel vs whale strikes or collisions with ships,” says MotionInfo.
Within the midst of this dilemma of international proportions, MotionInfo’s StationKeeper system is revealing how a collective desire to do better can be transformed into action through innovative and implementable solutions. Thanks to imaginative collaborations, together, we are making encouraging inroads when it comes to mitigating right whale vessel strikes – all the while influencing the sought-after outcome of sustainability.
Lighthouses are now taking us down unexpected but delightful roads to places we have never experienced before. They are showing us how far we have come – and how far we must still go. StationKeeper is the type of meaningful technology that is helping us see the possibilities upon the shores of tomorrow.
Regarding StationKeeper’s potential, the sky is the limit. As the International Fund for Animal Welfare notes, “Beyond vessel strike prevention, this system establishes a capability that could be used for other marine conservation challenges, and maritime safety and security measures, offering a scalable and flexible solution for a wide range of challenges.”
MotionInfo, based in Orleans, Massachusetts, continues to forge many partnerships with government entities, nonprofits, academic institutions and the private sector up and down the Atlantic seaboard. However, none are more proud and excited to be collaborating with MotionInfo on StationKeeper than the American Lighthouse Foundation, which is headquartered at Owls Head Light Station in Maine.
Speaking of Maine, as 2025 comes to a close, did you know there are eleven (11) Pine Tree State lighthouses serving as host sites for the StationKeeper system? Presently, the list includes: Cape Elizabeth (east light), Goat Island, Great Duck, Halfway Rock, Little River, Matinicus Rock, Monhegan Island, Mount Desert Rock, Owls Head, Seguin Island and Wood Island.
And the list is growing in Maine! Pemaquid Point and Petit Manan lighthouses are slated to join the ranks of this amazing coastal network in 2026, and other lighthouses in the state are actively under consideration for the coming year as well. The commitment to helping protect the North Atlantic right whale is growing leaps and bounds with each passing month!
As much as the American Lighthouse Foundation is pleased to be collaborating with MotionInfo at Maine’s lights (Massachusetts and New Hampshire beacons too), thankfully, they are not alone. Academic institutions such as the University of New England and the College of the Atlantic, are equally ecstatic, as are a number of the state’s nonprofit light station stewards. The teamwork from southern Maine to Downeast is truly inspiring.
Here in the 21st century, lighthouses are expanding their role as guardians. Not only do lighthouses still guide mariners, they are now helping to safeguard marine life such as the North Atlantic right whale. Lighthouses…finding new ways to “shine!”
This is really a super cool project and I love that lighthouses are involved! Thanks for sharing this info.
Thank you for sharing this Bob!