There is a lot of discussion about how well various boats can survive contact with a whale and damage control after contact. I would prefer not to get that close in the first place. I have heard that depth sounders can disorient whales. Does this contribute to collisions? If you run your engine or make noise does the whale become more aware of the boats presence? Does a whale try to avoid contact if it is aware of the boat?

Everything I have seen about avoiding whales is geared towards detecting whales so you can steer around them. I'm not sure that would have helped in this case.