Speed limits proposed for large boats after blue whale deaths
September 26th, 2007, 3:49 pm · 8 Comments · posted by Laylan Connelly, staff writer
A petition was submitted Tuesday by the Center for Biological Diversity asking the federal government to impose speed limits of large boats in the Santa Barbara Channel because of recent whale deaths along the coast.
Necropsies of two whales found dead off the Southern California coast – one near Ventura and the other near the Santa Barbara Channel - showed the mammals had broken bones. A dead whale that washed up in Long Beach on Sept. 8 – but was towed out to shore before examination – is also suspected of being hit by a large vessel, said Brendan Cummings, ocean program director for the Center for Biological Diversity.
“The only thing that can break a blue whale is something bigger than a blue whale, such as a container ship. Two in one week, that’s unusual,” said Cummings.
The petition asks that boats – commercial or personal - larger than 65 feet have a limit of 10 miles per hour in the Santa Barbara Channel, which spans about 80 miles. To see a copy of the proposal and a map of the area, click here.
While the emergency petition only asks that the limit be enacted in Santa Barbara, Cummings said eventually they will ask it to be expanded all along the California coastline – including Orange County.
Close to the Orange County coast, the number of blue whales has increased in recent years. While it was once rare to see a dozen of the world’s largest mammals off the coast, last year there were more than 400 sightings off local waters.
“It makes common sense … to slow down shipping everywhere along our coast,” Cummings said. “We’ve asked on an emergency basis for it to be placed in Santa Barbara Channel – but as a longer term solution, yes, our whole coastal area should be a sanctuary for blue whales.”
Norris Tapp, manager of Davey’s Locker Sportsfishing, said that the impact would not be large to their fishing operation, since they generally do not exceed about 11.5 miles per hour. Davey’s Locker runs fishing charters on boats about 80 feet in length.
“That’s the exact reason – avoiding hitting not just whales, anything else like logs or large kelp,” he said. “You’ve got to be the most unlucky person in the world to hit a blue whale.”
In the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara, there’s also a suspected outbreak of Domoic Acid – a poisonous type of algae bloom which may have caused a rash of sea lion deaths in Orange County last year. The outbreak up north may be slowing down the whales.
“These ships are so big, they don’t even notice they have a whale on its bow,” Cummings said. “Whatever the cause (of death) is, we know the ships are hitting them. The one thing we can regulate is the ship speed.”
There are currently laws protecting the blue whale, which was on the verge of extinction prior to commercial whaling being outlawed in the mid-60s. In 1973, the Endangered Species Act allowed the whales to be protected by U.S. law.
“In the past decade, there have been hopeful signs of a comeback,” Cummings said. “Our coast should be a sanctuary for these animals. Unless we control ship speeds, our waters are really a death trap.”
For more news along the coast, go to ocregister.com/beaches
How in the world do you enforce this, Irvine cops on Jet Skis sitting in the channel with their radar guns? Then what is the ticket for a container ship carrying what millions of dollars in goods, we fine them millions for each infraction? Can’t we just put a system in place that would make the whales avoid the ships since they obviously are having issues noticing a container ship, which baffles me. Put out some kind of buoy that makes killer whale noises or something to keep them away?
I like whales they are awesome to see, and probably going to go extinct from lack of plankton in the Arctic from the global warming that *ahem* doesn’t exist. However, this issue I can’t see a resolution.
You have got to be kidding me! The ONLY evidence they have that the whales are being hit by boats is broken bones. The comment THE ONLY THING THAT CAN BREAK A BLUE WHALE IS SOMETHING BIGGER THAN A BLUE WHALE is not only false, but a complete joke. Here’s a little school time for the CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, Blue Whales are hunted by Killer Whales. Since Killer Whales are only about one third the size of their prey, they come in as a pack and actually RAM the Blue Whale, or BREAK as our uneducated friends at the CFBD would say, until it is dead. Sometimes they get away and the Blue Whale dies away from the pack. Sound familiar? LA Harbor is the busiest port in the US and one of the busiest ports in the world. For this group of Crackheads to influence the boat speed on the entire coast, let alone Santa Barbra, is not only unwise, but STUPID at best!
this is the dumbest thing ive ever heard. proposing a speed limit for open water? you have got to be kidding me. if it does get passed, it could be irrelevent next year. the whales arent going to stay here forever, they come and go as they please. some years they make a good showing, and some years they dont. the real problem here is the Center for Biological Diversity being over reactive to a few whales dying. for all they know, the whales could have been dead for many days before a ship hit them, if that is the case. i frequently fish in the santa barbara channel on large yachts at speeds in excess of 22 knots. this is just the democrats responding to public sentiment.
Linking the recent rash of whale deaths to vessel speeds seems misguided. There hasn’t been any recent change in the way these vessels operate that could account for the spate of deaths. On the other hand, the Navy has recently restarted exercises with its sonar in Southern California. Isn’t it far more likely that the whales are disoriented due to the sonar? And that our time would be better spent fighting that menace?
Talk about a knee jerk reaction. We find two dead whales, and we are going to disrupt commerce and recreation for the entire state. It’s sad that the bulk of environmentalists are such idiots, and their answer to everything is another regulation, especially when they haven’t even studied the problem. Their grasp of science is pathetic. No wonder the environment is in such bad shape. What are they going to do when dead whales continue to show up after the speed limit, eliminate all boating offshore. Stupid.
[...] There were two whales found dead off the Southern California coast in late September – one near Ventura and the other near the Santa Barbara Channel. Biologists believe they were hit by vessels. A dead whale that washed up in Long Beach on Sept. 8 – but was towed out to shore before examination. To read the full story, CLICK HERE. [...]
wow… so many political b8*SHT going on here. you dont have the data or any paper regarding this issue. im a scientist myself. just dont tell science is stupid.. we laugh about politician all the time.. arguing over stupid shts.
Dear OC,
I work for a research group that studies blue whales using photo identification. We have a catalog of about 1200 whales that goes back to 1980 (mostly California whales).The whale photographed in this blog looks like it may be in good enough condition to identify if a photo of the dorsal fin was available. It is hard to tell, but is the skin still on the animal?
If there are any photographs available of this animal, would it be possible to get copies?
Thank you for your time,
Annie