Overview
- Rep. Sam Liccardo introduced the Save Willy Act, which would pilot a Coast Guard Whale Desk in San Francisco to gather public whale sightings and issue real-time guidance to vessel operators.
- A gray whale found dead near Alcatraz this week underscored the risk, with the Marine Mammal Center reporting nine whale deaths in Bay Area waters so far this year.
- Scientists say many carcasses drift away before necropsies can confirm causes, but ship strikes are the leading threat in the bay’s tight shipping lanes.
- California expanded the Blue Whales Blue Skies program under a new law, extending slow‑speed zones to offshore habitat and enlisting more than 40 shipping lines to voluntarily reduce speeds.
- Supporters cite results from the slow‑speed program, including about a 40% drop in strike risk for some species and more than 250,000 metric tons of avoided greenhouse gas emissions, as gray whales face a population near 13,000 due to food stress in changing Arctic feeding grounds.