Ship Strikes
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a ship strike?
A: The term "ship
strike" refers to the act of a boat or ship hitting, or striking,
a marine mammal.
Q: What happens when a
whale is struck by a ship?
A:Ship strikes often go undetected by the crews of large cargo and tanker ships and some whale species may sink. Therefore, ship strikes by these large vessels are likely underreported (Rockwood et al. 2017). Observations from crew members of vessels involved in a ship strike have reported a variety of outcomes for the whale, including no observable injury, varying severity of injury, and death. Whales may be cut or lacerated from the propeller or keel of a vessel, or the collision of the vessels hull causes blunt force trauma including broken bones and internal bleeding. The severity of the injuries to the whale is a function of many factors including the animal's size, activity, and position in the water at the time of the strike, and the characteristics of the vessel including size and speed.
Q: Are ship strikes a
serious problem for whales?
A: Ship strikes are obviously a problem for the individual whales that are struck, as they may be killed. Ship strikes may also be a problem for certain populations of whales. Some whale species are seriously threatened with extinction, and ship strikes may be affecting the ability of the populations to recover. To learn more about the most seriously impacted species, the North Atlantic right whale, visit: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike
Q: How can ship strikes
be avoided?
A: The single most effective
way to reduce ship strikes on whales is to reduce the co-occurrence
of ships and whales by keeping them separated from each other.
Unfortunately, shipping lanes often overlap with productive feeding
grounds for whales, so this is very difficult to do. Moving ships
away from whale "hot spots" is an effective measure,
and some research indicates that slowing ships down may reduce
the probability of death when a whale is struck. There is still
much unknown about how whales behave around ships so additional
research is required to fully understand how to best reduce ship
strike occurrence.
Q: What can I do to help?
A: Raise awareness. If your friends or family enjoy boating on the ocean, remind them to keep watch for marine mammals and to steer clear of them. Never drive in front of a whale's path and stay at least 300 ft away from any marine mammal to avoid disturbing them.
Download the Whale Alert app. Whale Alert is a growing network of nonprofit institutions, government agencies, shipping and technology companies focused on reducing lethal ship strikes of whales.
Q: What should I do if
I find a sick or dead animal?
A: Never approach a marine
mammal. The most important thing you can do is quickly get help
by contacting one of the listed agencies here.
Keep other people and pets away from the animal until help arrives.
Q: What species of marine
mammals live near Santa Barbara?
A: About 30 species of
cetaceans have been observed in the sanctuary and 18 of these
are considered residents.
Partners
Office
of National Marine Sanctuaries
NMFS
NPS,CINP
USCG
Santa
Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties Air Pollution Control Districts (APCD)
San Francisco Bay Air Quality Management District
Marine Exchange Southern California
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (NMS)
Greater Farallones NMS
Monterey Bay NMS
Environmental Defense Center
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