Los Angeles-Long Beach PARS
Blue whale sightings and the shipping lane shift in the Santa Barbara Channel. You can see the shift of the traffic lanes 1 nautical mile towards the shore, reducing the distance to the largest concentration of whale sights. Map via National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is habitat for the densest seasonal population of blue whales in the world. Large commercial vessel traffic passes directly through the sanctuary, putting endangered marine mammals at risk of ship strikes and noise disturbance.
A Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in Santa Barbara Channel was adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1985 and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary was approved as an Area to be Avoided (ATBA) in 1991. In 2010, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a port access route study (PARS) to develop measures to reduce the interaction of whales and ships
Comments submitted to the Coast Guard included concerns that current vessel traffic threatens whale species due to ship strikes. Recommendations included speed restriction through areas of known whale locations, narrowing the shipping lanes to minimize impact on the whale habitat, and routing vessels away from known areas of high whale density to help avoid whale strikes.
Automated identification system (AIS) tracking shows high compliance of ships using the routing scheme in Santa Barbara Channel. The horizontal line of traffic showing just above 33°33’ matches the southern inbound lane derived from the 2010 PARS. Map via Redfern et al. 2017
The Coast Guard does not have the authority to implement speed restriction. The authority and responsibility to promulgate speed restrictions to protect marine species rests with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. To reduce whale strikes, the Coast Guard recommended reducing the width of the TSS from 4 nautical miles to 3 nautical miles, with the southern inbound lane shifting north. Additionally, they proposed the implementation of traffic lanes south of the Channel Islands to accommodate periodic increases in vessel traffic. After federal approval and acceptance at IMO, the new routing measures went into effect June 1, 2013.
With the goal of protecting whales while ensuring vibrant maritime commerce, the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has continuously engaged in projects that collaborate with the shipping industry, governmental agencies, non-profits and other key stakeholders on projects such as:
Whale advisories and voluntary slow speed zones to reduce the impact of ship strikes on whales strongly recommended by NOAA.
Incentive-based vessel speed reduction programs have grown participation in voluntary, non-regulatory speed reduction to slow ships down, and reduce air emissions and reduce the likelihood of fatality from a ship strike to endangered whales in the region.
Mobile apps to improve collection of real-time whale data through Whale Alert – West Coast.
Automated identification system (AIS) tracking shows continued compliance in the amended TSS [PDF link], around the ATBA, and for the new southern route. While NOAA expects a substantial decrease in the number of ship-whale strikes, current information has not yet been sourced.
Sources and further reading:
Coast Guard reports (filed under Los Angeles/Long Beach)