VIDEO: Ship Strikes Pose Serious Threat to Long Beach/Los Angeles Blue Whales

An abundance of krill off Long Beach and Los Angeles continues to attract more blue whales to an area where shipping traffic is also very heavy. The result is a serious risk of ship strikes for the largest creatures to have ever inhabited the face of the earth, which can potentially be fatal. While the most 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 out after being fatally struck.

Dr. John Calambokidis from the Cascadia Research Center is recognized as the leading expert on blue whales and he, along with Harbor Breeze Cruises and the Aquarium of the Pacific, are 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, generally do not turn away, in some cases they actually close ground on 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 take caution where blue whales are feeding. Calambokidis admonishes boaters to slow down when they come across a blue whale and points out that many times where there is one blue whale, there are others nearby.

Two possible remedies to the ship strike problem off Long Beach/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.

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