Ships strike whales, maiming or killing these mighty critters we love so much. The big problem is shipping lanes — for container and cargo ships traveling through the Santa Barbara Channel — run right near and even through prime feeding areas where whales congregate. Some ship captains are opting to operate outside of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, but that can put them into a Navy weapons testing area (Yikes!). Most ships are still using the designated shipping lanes.
While focusing on corralling a few hundred thousand krill for a meal, whales sometimes forget to pay close enough attention to passing ships. Results include dead whales draped across the bulbous bow of a container ship as it heads into a crowded port, dead whales floating at sea and washing up on shore, severely injured whales who may die later from wounds, and dead whales sinking out after being struck. It is suspected that many dead whales sink out, which suggests the seafloor under the shipping lanes may be a boneyard of dead whales. I would like to see ROV research done to verify or disprove this theory because whales are important to us.
I am delighted to report that the issue of ship strikes is taken seriously and given untold hours and days of attention and hard work by the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) and especially by the council’s Sanctuary Education Team (SET) under the chairmanship of Maria Petueli. Concerned SAC members including government agencies and a representative of the Marine Exchange of Southern California (MAREX) give freely of their time and expertise to develop ideas and programs to educate the public and educate the crews of the big ships about whale avoidance matters.
The SET is formulating plans to develop educational tools and practices such as printed fliers and Web resources highlighting the importance of the Santa Barbara Channel as a feeding ground and migration path for large cetaceans; make presentations and take dock walks to engage port operators, agents and vessel officers; train vessel staff to be able to participate in whale sighting/monitoring programs; analyze automated identification system data from ships to monitor compliance with voluntary speed reduction in the whale advisory zone; and use pre- and post- surveys to gauge changes in knowledge and attitude among vessel masters and shipping agents with regard to the importance of whale avoidance and ship speed reduction.
These and other carefully formulated plans and tools are being developed now. They are subject to change but this gives you a feel for the types of hard and smart work being done. Our SET is developing short-term, mid-term and long-term outcome objectives leading to overall reduction in threat of ship strikes to large cetaceans in the channel and the sanctuary. I occasionally doff my well-worn hat to good hard efforts by dedicated people, and I enthusiastically doff my hat to the SET.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help.
