Shipping Lane Changes To Prevent Whales Being Killed

Shipping lane changes around the largest ports in California are set to take place this month in an effort to prevent whales being hit and killed by shipping liners. With whale populations already being at an all-time low, even a small number of the marine mammals being killed each year is enough to endanger them further.

The plan is to reduce the maritime traffic that makes its way down the mile-wide shipping lane into the San Francisco Bay and surrounding ports of Los Angeles. Much like driving, hitting a whale can be compared to hitting a deer or a possum on the highway. It’s normally not intentional, but sometimes it’s unavoidable, which is why shipping lane changes seem to make the most sense.

Existing routes into the bay will be made narrower and extended further out to sea, meaning that ships are unable to stray as far and therefore are less likely to hit one of the seafaring giants.

Apart from the shipping lane changes, there are other initiatives underway that will help to fund projects such as whale monitoring flights over the Channel Islands, a soon to be released whale-spotting app, and the placement of “whale watchers” on ships.

All of the changes are the result of a Port Access Route Study, which was initially undertaken following a fatal collision between two boats in 2007. The study aimed to find ways to make shipping routes more predictable and, in the process, has allow conservationists to protect whales as well.

Continued efforts will be required from all parties to monitor whale movements in the area and keep track of whether or not there has been a reduction in the number of whale fatalities.

Do you think shipping lane changes will be enough to protect whales in the area? What else could be done to keep whales safe?

Image via: John Calambokidis, Cascadia Research Collective