Ship Strikes Threaten Blue Whales

An abundance of krill off Long Beach and Los Angeles continues to attract  blue whales to an area of heavy shipping traffic. The result is a serious risk of fatal ship strikes for the largest creatures to have ever inhabited the face of the earth. While the largest number of blue whale deaths attributed to ship strikes was four in 2007, the true number is thought to be much higher as many strikes go unreported and many whales simply sink after being fatally struck.

Dr. John Calambokidis from the Cascadia Research Center is recognized as the leading experts on blue whales. He, along with Harbor Breeze Cruises and the Aquarium of the Pacific, is looking for ways to reduce ship strikes. Tags are put on these mammoth animals in order to gather dive data, the positions of whales, and the whale's reaction to approaching ships.

According to Calambokidis, early research suggests that blue whales do little to get out of the way from an approaching ship.

"Blue whales have not adapted or evolved to deal with this new threat," he said. So far, it appears that blue whales do little to avoid an approaching ship—they generally do not turn away, and in some cases, they actually come closer to approaching ships. In addition, the have a penchant for surfacing when ships are near, placing them in even greater danger.

Private boaters on smaller crafts should also be careful where blue whales are feeding. Calambokidis said boaters should slow down when they come across a blue whale, adding that many times where there is one blue whale, there are others nearby.

Two possible remedies to the ship strike problem off the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles would be to mandate that boaters slow down in the blue whale feeding grounds. An even more effective step may be to adjust the shipping lanes away from where the blue whales feed.