California Blue Whales – Preventable Conflict?

Image Credit: NoAA Photo Library, via Wikimedia

What happens when the preferred feeding areas of eastern North Pacific blue whales just happens to coincide with heavily-trafficked shipping lanes?

Increased threats of injury and mortality.

A 15-year analysis of the movements of satellite-tagged blue whales off the coast of California strongly suggest that the whales’ feeding grounds directly conflict with shipping lanes. Scientists tagged around 171 blue whales and have diligently monitored their movements between 1993 and 2008.

And the results of the study, which are backed up by the Office of Naval Research, the National Geographic Society, the National Science Foundation, and the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute, are forcing the scientific community to take notice.

Ladd Irvine, a researcher with Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, identified important habitat areas and studied environmental triggers to understand the timing of the whale’s presence near major shipping ports.

“The main areas that attract blue whales are highly productive, strong upwelling zones that produce large amounts of krill — which is pretty much all they eat,” said Irvine. “The whales have to maximize their food intake during the summer before they migrate south for the winter, typically starting in mid-October to mid-November.”

In light of this study scientists have come up with a viable option to potentially save hundreds of whales lives: moving the shipping lanes.

That’s right, if the shipping lanes off Los Angeles and San Francisco were routed a little further offshore, whales would be saved. To back this up, a similar lane-rerouting off eastern Canada dramatically decreased the likelihood of ships striking right whales by about 80 percent.

80 percent is a big deal.

When an estimated 2,500 of the world’s 10,000 blue whales use the waters off the United States’ West Coast as crucial feeding grounds, the potential decrease in injuries and death should be a strong motivator.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seems to agree. They will be using this study to plan a review of shipping lanes in the southern California area and will discuss any potential changes.

Learn more about the 15 year analysis from the researchers at Oregon State University here.