05/02/2026
On Monday Co-Director joined Policy, Information, and Management Officer of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Sean Hastings on one of the monthly whale surveys of the channel 🐋 Sean also founded the program, a voluntary vessel speed reduction request now underway across the entire state of California. The season started on Earth Day 🌎 and will run until the end of the year.
Monitoring whale whereabouts is conducted in multiple ways throughout the channel. Whales are spotted from above during these survey flights, as the team runs the entire length of the shipping lanes, to the west of San Miguel Island when weather allows. Whale watchers and boaters are encouraged to report whale sightings via the free “whale alert app,” from ’s “Whale Safe,” program. The program also has an underwater acoustic buoy, constantly monitoring for whale calls 🔊 Together, a collaborative effort between scientists, whale watchers, shipping lines, policy makers, and our everyday citizens are working towards a safer and more abundant channel. During this recent flight, 20 whales were seen consisting of humpback whales, one fin whale, and one unidentified whale.
We are proud of all of the dedicated individuals working towards a safer more connected future for our whales 🐋
In order of left to right, Holly Lohuis (Marine Biologist, Co-Director of ), Sean Hastings (Policy Information and Managemnet officer of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, founder of ), and John Hancock.
