SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Watching humpback whales spouting off our coast is a magnificent experience. But now, marine experts are hoping it can help save lives too.
“Well, right now we’re asking everybody to keep an eye for spouts. So if you see a spout, watch out,” says Jennifer Stock with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and an outreach specialist with the Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. She says NOAA has issued a warning for the area, because of a chain migration you could describe as a floating buffet line.
“So we’re seeing a lot of prey, mostly anchovy and type of fish. That school is and is really healthy and nutritious for whales. There’s also krill and it happens to be quite close to the coast right now. And the whales are here because they’re here feed to fatten up for the winter when they’re off in their southern migration breeding areas,” Stock explains.
And experts say that feeding pattern is drawing humpback whales and other species closer and closer to potential human contact. Whale watchers and spotters from the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito are reporting sightings up and down the greater Bay Area coastline from Monterey to Mendocino.
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“We’ve heard of dozens of reports of sightings of whales today in Pacifica. We’ve had a number of whales reported in the Golden Gate Strait and underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and even into San Francisco Bay,” says the Marine Mammal Center’s Kathi George.
George points out that both large and smaller vessels can be a threat to the whales, and sometimes, vice versa.
“Absolutely. Any size vessel could hit a whale or a whale could hit any size vessel. The risks are higher for the people when the vessel size is smaller and the risks are higher for the whale when the ship is larger,” she says.
While oil tankers and large container ships are the most dangerous threat, the Bay Area is seeing major progress in limiting the risk. High tech buoys placed by the Benioff Ocean Science Lab can now relay warnings when they detect whales in the area. An increasing percentage of shipping companies are also participating in a voluntary vessel speed reduction program, slowing down to avoid collisions.
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“So the preliminary analyzes are showing that we have about 74% of the distance traveled by these large vessels in the months of June and July at whales safer 10 knots or less,” says Jessica Morten of NOAA and the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Morten says it’s difficult to track the exact number of ship strikes, because many often happen far off the coast. But she says research models document the progress.
“When we look at these reduced speeds from the large vessel community, we can very clearly see that we’re significantly reducing the risk of ship strikes for these endangered whale populations,” Morten adds.
The vessel speed reduction program, known as Protecting Blue Whales and Blue skies is now celebrating its 10-year anniversary, with cooperation continuing to build year by year.
And here in the Bay Area, Humpbacks and other species continue to follow the buffet line past our shores. Fattening up for the long migration ahead.
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