A new iPad and iPhone application is aimed at protecting critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from collisions with ships, its U.S. developers say.

The free app, developed by researchers led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sends data about right whale detections directly to an iPhone or iPad on a ship's bridge, said researchers at the University of New Hampshire, who participated in the app's creation.

The app links whale calls detected by a series of listening buoys to captains transiting the busy shipping lanes in and around Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay, a university release said.

Collisions with ships are a leading cause of death of right whales, one of the world's most endangered large animals with just an estimated 350 to 500 animals surviving, scientists said.

The WhaleALERT app can use Automatic Identification System, a communication system on board all ships, as well as wireless or satellite Internet or 3G networks to deliver information about right whales in the vicinity of ships.

"This is a huge leap forward in terms of giving this information to mariners in a way that's part of their daily routine," UNH researchers said, noting that a ship's bridge is a busy place and among the many pressures facing mariners, avoiding whales might be a lower priority.

"It has to be easy to use."