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Video: Local Shipping Lanes vs. Whales

Transportation routes run through feeding grounds of the giant creatures. Collisions happen and researchers are seeking solutions.

An abundance of krill in Long Beach and Los Angeles continues to attract blue whales to an area where shipping traffic is also very heavy. The result is a serious risk of ship collisions with the largest creatures to have ever inhabited the face of the earth.

Although the highest number of blue whale deaths attributed to ship strikes was four in 2007, the true figure is thought to be much greater. Many strikes go unreported and many whales simply sink out after being struck.

Dr. John Calambokidis from the Cascadia Research Center is recognized as a leading expert 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 to gather dive data, the positions of whales and their reaction to approaching ships.

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According to Calambokidis, early research suggests that blue whales do little to get out of the way of an approaching ship. “Blue whales have not adapted or evolved to deal with this new threat,” he said. In addition, they 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 admonishes boaters to slow down when they come across a blue whale, noting that others are often nearby.

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Two possible remedies to the ship strike problem: Mandate that boaters slow down in blue whale feeding grounds or, better yet, adjust shipping lanes away from where the blue whales feed.

See and learn more about the plight of the blue whale in this special Patch Blue Whale Update video.

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