San Francisco Chronicle: Ships Are Killing Whales off the California Coast. Here's What Experts Say Will Save Them.
- Species conservation
- Pathology
Ships are killing whales off the California coast. Here's what experts say will save them
Published in the San Francisco Chronicle: March 12, 2022
The towering container ships and oil tankers that sail in and out of San Francisco Bay have a little-known dark side: They are a leading cause of death for whales that migrate along the coast between Mexico or Central America and Alaska.
But there’s a way to reduce the number of whales that often wash up, bloated and mangled, on Bay Area beaches this time of year, experts say. A new report recommends slowing the speed of ships on a large stretch of the coast, from Pigeon Point in San Mateo County to Point Arena in Mendocino County. The idea is to give whales a chance to escape mortal injury.
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