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Introduction
 | | (Photo: A. Lombardi) |
The West Coast Region sanctuaries host an abundance of blue, humpback, fin and other large migratory whales that feed in the highly productive waters of the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. Whale food, including krill, sardines, and anchovies thrive in the cold, nutrient-rich water along the west coast of North America; it is this great abundance of forage that makes the west coast a critical feeding destination for migratory whales in the Pacific.
The west coast is also home to some of the country's busiest ports, including the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in Southern California, the ports of San Francisco Bay, and the ports of Puget Sound, Washington. These ports together service more than 50% of all container traffic into and out of the United States. Large cargo ships travel through sanctuaries along the west coast to access these ports, and where presence of vessels and whales overlap, there is an increased risk of ship strike that can cause serious injury or death to whales. In the fall of 2007, four blue whales were struck and killed by ships and found in or near the Santa Barbara Channel and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Three years later, between July and October 2010, two blue whales (one of which miscarried a fetus as a result), one humpback, and two fin whales were found dead in and around Monterey Bay, Gulf of the Farallones, and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries in Northern California.
 | | (Photo: J. Calambokidis/Cascadia Research) |
 | | National Marine Sanctuary sites and the top 25 US container ship ports. Data from the US Department of Transportation, 2004 (Credit: G. Galasso) |
The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) West Coast Region and the five west coast sanctuaries are concerned about large whale mortalities from ship strikes along the United States West Coast. Blue, humpback and fin whales are listed internationally as endangered and threatened with extinction in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List. Mortality from ship strikes has been identified as a serious threat to population recovery of these vulnerable whale species. The risk of ship strikes on endangered whales is being addressed by staff from the ONMS West Coast Regional Office and the five west coast national marine sanctuaries: Olympic Coast sanctuary in Washington State, Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones sanctuaries in Northern California, Monterey Bay sanctuary in Central California, and Channel Islands sanctuary in Southern California.
 | | (Photos: (left): A. Schulman-Janiger (right): P. Chinn/The Chronicle) |
On these pages, you will find information on the West Coast Region's efforts to manage, monitor and research the ship strike issue, as well as educate and involve local communities. Ultimately, west coast sanctuaries and their partners aim to protect large whales with these ongoing initiatives.
To hear more from Sean Hastings, the Resource Protection Coordinator at Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, listen to the West Coast Ship Strikes podcast produced by Thank You Ocean.
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