Ship Strikes
Research, Monitoring & Response
Monitoring
Sanctuary staff coordinates, collects and
monitors whale sightings in and around the Whale Advisory Zone
and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary region. The
seasonally established Whale Advisory Zone
spans from Point Arguello to Dana Point, including the Traffic Separation Schemes in the
Santa Barbara Channel and San Pedro Channel. Sanctuary observers collect information from
aerial surveys conducted by NOAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and
Game, and U.S. Navy chartered aircraft.
Information on seasonal presence, movement
and general distribution patterns of large whales is shared with
mariners, NMFS Office of Protected Resources, US Coast Guard,
California Department of Fish and Game, the Santa Barbara Museum
of Natural History, the Marine Exchange of Southern California,
and whale scientists.
Real time and historical whale observation data collected from multiple sources can be viewed on the Point Blue Whale Database Map
Citizen Scientist Whale Sightings Data
Now Collected with Mobile Apps
Since 1999, specially trained
Channel Islands Naturalist Corps (CINC)
volunteers have collected
opportunistic marine mammal sightings data while on board participating whale watch and park
concessionaire vessels. This dataset informs dynamic management as well as multiple research
initiatives. CINMS recently partnered with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Office of
National Marine Sanctuaries, Point Blue Conservation Science and Conserve.IO (see full list of
partners below) to develop and fund Spotter Pro and Whale Alert. These two apps can be downloaded on
smartphones and tablets, and allow users to collect whale sightings in the field and upload data to
a cloud server, improving real-time data collection. Spotter Pro has been designed for trained
observers and is now used by CINC volunteers in place of paper log sheets. Members of the public can
also assist with monitoring whales by downloading the Whale Alert app for iPhones and iPads. If you
spot a whale, record it in Whale Alert, and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary staff will
receive important information like GPS location, species, and number of whales.
Contact Shauna Bingham to find out more about becoming a trained whale observer.
Many partners assisted with app development and procurement of hardware, including: Office of National Marine
Sanctuaries, Cordell Marine Sanctuary Foundation, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, NOAA
Fisheries, Point Blue Conservation Science, Conserve.IO, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association,
International Fund for Animal Welfare, and U.S. Coast Guard.
Report Whale Sightings
The National Marine Fisheries Service is collecting and compiling whale sightings data from
citizen science, industry, sanctuaries, and others along the entire west coast. This information
can help with the conservation of these species. If you see whales, please collect the following:
GPS location, species and number of whales; and email to whales@noaa.gov.
Research
In addition to monitoring whales, the sanctuary
supports Cascadia Research Collective
in their efforts to track distribution of whales. By creating
partnerships such as this, CINMS can share knowledge in order
to make management decisions based on best available science.
Several institutions and agencies conduct whale research in the
region—for additional information see research links below:
Research Links
Cascadia
Research Collective
Oregon State
University Marine Mammal Institute
Scripps Institution
of Oceanography Whale Acoustic Lab
NOAA Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Region
Santa Barbara
Museum of Natural History
Response
NMFS is the lead agency to coordinate activities
related to stranding response. More information can be found
here. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
is the local organization within the California Marine Mammal
Stranding Network that is responsible for responding to marine
mammal strandings in the region. They are responsible for performing
necropsies to determine the cause of death of stranded whales.
In 2007, museum staff conducted on-site necropsy work on three
of the stranded whales in order to confirm vessel collision as
cause of death. Click
here for more information on the 2007 blue whale
strandings, and click
here for information on the stranding network.
What should you do if you find a sick or dead animal? http://channelislands.noaa.gov/focus/dom.html
To report entangled or distressed marine mammals, contact the
California large whale disentanglement network at:
1-877-SOS-WHALE (1-877-767-9425)
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