A Blue Whale’s Final Voyage to Mendocino
Most people have no idea whales are still dying from ship strikes.
One of the benefits living near the coast of California is that you can see dolphins, seals and sea lions regularly or spot a whale’s blow during whale season. Now, imagine if that could be a blue whale, the biggest animal alive.
I wrote about my trip to Mendocino in another blog post. I found out about the beached young female blue whale in 2009 from pictures at the Noyo Discovery Center and Interpretive Center. The whale was struck by a cargo ship and was found ashore at Jug Handle Nature Preserve in Mendocino. It was a rare event.
What does this village do? They came together, including NOAA and the newly formed Noyo Center for Marine Sciences, recovered and compost-cleaned which was a process of 4 years. Then the bones underwent oil removal so they don’t smell. Currently the bones are stored at a local volunteer’s barn. Some of the skeletons are shown every year during Mendocino’s Whale Festival (yet another one like the Urchin Festival). The community’s vision is coming into place and that is to open a much larger museum called Ocean Science Center that will house the complete 73-foot skeleton. Groundbreaking is targeted for 2026 depending on permit approvals. These locals inspire me. They transformed a loss into an educational legacy. Not a sleepy village at all.
I looked into what can be done to protect these endangered giants.
1.) Voluntary Speed Reduction (VSR)
Voluntary 10-knot speed zones are in place from May 1 to Dec 31 along the California coast (including near Mendocino). NOAA and the US Coast Guard request vessels 300 gross tons or larger to slow down to reduce strike risk, a speed proven to significantly increase whale survival rates. Visit NOAA’s VSR map and info.
Advocacy groups like the Center for Biological Diversity petition for mandatory speed limits to replace voluntary zones, citing that voluntary measures alone aren’t enough.
2.) Ongoing research explores dynamic management areas, that is temporary re-routing based on real-time whale sightings with the help of the Coast Guard and NOAA.
3.) The Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program, launched in 2014, incentivizes major shipping lines to participate. In 2024, 16 global carriers logged over 181,000 nautical miles at ≤10 knots, cutting whale-strike risk by 50%, underwater noise by 38%, and reducing greenhouse gases and pollution.
How to determine green shipping pledges related to Amazon? Amazon supports whale-safe shipping through the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program, but you won’t see it on your Prime package.
What type of incentives? An equivalent to green buildings like LEED, reduced port fees and others.
4.) Shipping lanes called traffic separation schemes (TSR) were adjusted in San Francisco and Santa Barbara, narrowed and shifting away from key whale habitats since 2013.
There are other monitoring and compliance measures as well.
Are these enough? Any whale death’s since? No and yes.
I was digging into this and thought of having an air flight control system like the ones at the airport but for shipping lines to avoid real-time whale sightings.
Just as flights are dynamically routed to avoid weather, ships could be routed to avoid real-time whale sightings using:
• Drones
• Acoustic buoys
• Satellite data
• AI prediction models
Why are blue whales important?
When they feed at depth and poop near the surface, they release iron- and nitrogen-rich waste, which fertilizes phytoplankton, the base of the ocean food web. More phytoplankton means more oxygen released and CO2 absorbed.
The blue whale chose the right cove to beach. Here’s the link to her story.
I’ll see you at the opening of the museum. Till then, spread her story, sign the petition and rethink what you buy.
How to help
Sign and share petitions for mandatory vessel speed limits at Center for Biological Diversity petition.
Buy locally = fewer ships = less ocean noise and ship strike risk. Support slow shipping and green shipping pledges when offered. Educate peers on the link between consumer habits and marine traffic.
Whale sightings? Report via the Whale Alert App created to reduce ship strikes.
