With the introduction of thermal imaging, the old pattern of counting the whales migrating past the California coast by watching them through binoculars would not be followed by scientists anymore.

The imaging helps count whales and there is no need for scientists to be there. It’s an annual tradition being followed to count gray whales. They travel from their summer feeding ground in the Arctic to their winter locations off the coast of the Baja in Mexico.

With the new technique, the cameras will grab the pictures whenever the whales come to the surface and breathe through their blow holes. When whales comes to the surface to breathe then they release air, which is much warmer than the surrounding air and the camera is able to click the image.

Experts affirmed that these images are quite similar to infrared cameras being used by police to look out for suspects in night. These cameras will prove beneficial as humans are able to count whales only in day.

It is expected that these cameras will help the researchers to better predict the whales’ population every year. In the 1930s, gray whales population was hunt to such an extent that they were near extinction.

However, since then they have made a steady comeback and now, its population stands at up to 20,000. In 1994, gray whales were delisted from the endangered species list. Timothy Greene, chairman of the Makah Tribal Council in Neah Bay, said that they are happy that the whale has been removed from the list.

The Makah tribe has hunted gray whales for subsistence and ceremonial purposes. “We recognize the cultural importance of whales to the tribes, and intend no disrespect. But whaling is inherently cruel”, said D.J. Schubert, a wildlife biologist with the Animal Welfare Institute.