Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies

Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Shipping line participants in BWBS range from companies with a handful of vessels to the largest shipping companies in the world.

Established in 2014, Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies (BWBS) helps ship operators and companies reduce the environmental impact of shipping along the coast of California. BWBS independently verifies cooperation rates, quantifies the benefits of participation, and provides recognition of program participants to encourage the adoption of more sustainable shipping practices. The program monitors

the speeds of hundreds of vessels that pass through Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) zones each year during the VSR season (designed to coincide with peak ozone and endangered whale feeding and migration periods), and engages the industry to slow down to reduce the risk of fatal ship strikes and impacts on coastal communities. Together they account for over 90% of all cargo traffic that passes through the Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) zones. Ambassadors include consumer goods, brands, retailers, ports, and logistics companies committed to helping reduce ship strike risk to endangered whales, marine noise and air pollution, and regional greenhouse gas emissions. Companies that ship with one or more VSR participants are eligible.

08/11/2026

Blue Whales & Blue Skies exists to reduce the risk of ship strikes to whales, reduce underwater noise pollution & protect public health by protecting air quality.

For 🐋, high shipping traffic by large vessels in important migratory and feeding habitat is one of their top threats.

Unfortunately, this fin whale (struck several years ago off San Diego 💔) - helps us understand why.

Watch to see how the force of a large vessel can sever the vertebrae of one of the largest animals to ever grace our planet, and why scientists study the (rare) carcasses that come ashore to learn more, and help more people understand what can be done to protect our ocean and its inhabitants.

Thank you to BWBS’ Kelly Tseng and Danielle Alvarez, Kayden Minton and Professor John Hildebrand for sharing thoughts and to Scripps Instn. of Oceanography for leading this excavation project!




NEW BLOG: What we gain when we protect whales: restoring the thriving whale populations of the past is an act of buildin...
08/04/2026

NEW BLOG: What we gain when we protect whales: restoring the thriving whale populations of the past is an act of building a resilient future.

Whales fertilize the oceans, help create the air we breathe, lock away carbon in the deep sea, and give back as deep sea habitat. Learn more why every whale we protect from a fatal vessel strike is an investment in a healthy planet in this latest blog post!

🔗californiamsf.org/blog

07/31/2026

Postcards of appreciation for our brand ambassadors and shipping lines!

*Thank you* Santa Barbara Maritime Museum for sharing information on whale & air safer shipping, and helping us celebrate and thank our:

💌 Participating shipping lines voluntarily reducing speeds off our coast for safer whales, cleaner air and a quieter ocean, and
💌 Brand ambassadors shipping whale safer and driving demand for these 🐋🌎💨💙 industry efforts!

07/24/2026

Playing a role in whale protection isn’t just for the large commercial vessels!

➡️ Please help share these TOP TIPS for *recreational boaters* thanks to a few BWBS partners / friends:

1️⃣ Give whales their space & slow down your vessel to an idle. Give 🐋 at least 100 yards (~2.5 school bus lengths)

2️⃣ Steer clear of feeding whales (circling birds are a strong indication fish are at the surface... and where there are 🐟, there can be whales.)

3️⃣ Use the whale disentanglement hotline (& jot down your coordinates). *Do not* engage the animal (SAVE THIS 📞 # for CA, OR, WA: 877-SOS-WHAL / 877-767-9425)

4️⃣ Sit still when friendly 🐋 approach. Humpbacks are known for their curiosity - just sit with your engines in neutral & enjoy.

5️⃣ Use the *Whale Alert* app. Reporting sightings helps scientists, managers and other boaters better understand whale abundance and presence.

For the full video visit - seeaspout.org/westcoast/ to learn more!

Big thanks to BWBS partners / friends at (as well as 🎥 & recent project lead Sandra Traverso, NOAA affiliate with .marinesanctuaryfoundation for creating these great responsible course materials !

07/18/2026

It’s 🎧👂 - a day to celebrate active listening & acoustic ecology - the study of how sound shapes our relationship with the environment!

We learn so much by simply just listening 🎤🌊. The west coast Ocean Sound Observation Network is a collaboration of many organizations combining resources to maintain a continuous long-term monitoring program along the coast.

The underwater sound data provides insight into whale migration patterns, breeding cycles of fish, and habitat restoration, but it also allows us to measure change over time, or in response to an event.

✔️This includes management actions & voluntary industry efforts, like when all the BWBS participating vessels slowwwwww down during the VSR season to also protect whales and clean air 💙🐋.

✔️Listening stations like SIO B provide the long-term data set required to measure the reduction of underwater radiated noise of slower vessels, and also have provided a birds eye to contextualize the BWBS program alongside other changes afoot, like climate change.

Today we celebrate the partnerships across US National Marine Sanctuaries and academia that form this incredible soundscape observing network!

Thank you Scripps MBARC and the support by Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) 💙🌊

Our work to protect whales and California coastal air is powered by the efforts of companies and maritime leaders from a...
07/15/2026

Our work to protect whales and California coastal air is powered by the efforts of companies and maritime leaders from all around the 🌎!

Participating shipping lines and company ambassadors include those from France, Denmark, Greece, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada, and beyond.

📣 To help more companies and mariners understand how they can join the effort, BWBS is excited to share that the Responsible Shipping Playbook is now also available in:

✔️Simplified Mandarin, and
✔️Traditional Mandarin

Check it out to understand how joining BWBS is a simple but powerful near-term way to protect biodiversity and public health in key marine habitats with high shipping traffic.

🔗: bluewhalesblueskies.org/ambassador-program/join/
-

Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies（BWBS）保護鯨魚與加州沿海社區的工作是仰賴來自世界各地企業與航運領袖的共同努力！
我們的合作航運公司與企業大使來自法國、丹麥、希臘、中國、新加坡、臺灣、加拿大等世界各地，攜手合作，一起致力於降低船隻撞擊鯨魚風險、水下噪音及空氣污染。
我們很開心宣布，《負責任航運行動指南》（Responsible Shipping Playbook） 現已推出繁體中文與簡體中文版本，希望能協助更多國際企業與航運從業人員加入這項行動。
歡迎下載閱讀，了解您的企業可以如何參與永續航運，以及為什麼船隻減速是一個簡單、立即就能實踐，卻能有效保護鯨魚、降低水下噪音、改善空氣品質的解方，一起守護重要的海洋棲地與沿海社區。

-

Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies（BWBS）保护鲸鱼和加州沿海社区的工作，离不开来自世界各地企业和航运领袖的共同努力！
我们的合作航运公司和企业大使来自法国、丹麦、希腊、中国、新加坡、台湾、加拿大等世界各地，携手合作，共同致力于降低船舶撞击鲸鱼风险、水下噪音以及空气污染。
我们很高兴宣布，《负责任航运行动指南》（Responsible Shipping Playbook） 现已推出繁体中文和简体中文版本，希望帮助更多国际企业和航运从业人员加入这项行动。
欢迎下载阅读，了解您的企业如何参与可持续航运，以及为什么船舶减速是一项简单、能够立即实施，却能有效保护鲸鱼、降低水下噪音、改善空气质量的解决方案，共同守护重要的海洋栖息地和沿海社区。

07/13/2026

BWBS research partner Scripps Scripps Instn. of Oceanography on CBS8 🗞️ amidst the context of 145 gray whales that have been documented as deceased so far this year along the West Coast.

🥵🌎For the gray whales, scientists highlight the impact of climate change reducing sea ice in the Arctic, which impacts their prey availability. A reduced food supply is altering where they forage along their migrations, increasing the risk of ship strikes.

🪏🔎 Researchers and volunteers at Scripps (including a few from the BWBS team) - have been excavating the skeleton of a fin whale that was fatally struck by a ship in the San Diego area several years ago. (Scientists first bury whale bones to naturally clean them without damaging the skeleton before later excavating for display or further study).

🔗 www.cbs8.com/video/life/animals/gray-whale-deaths-surge-along-west-coast/509-b48d02e0-ee3b-4fcb-aa88-edb32667108c

07/02/2026

It’s July!

✅ 60(+) global shipping lines are on track for record year as the voluntary Vessel Speed Reduction zone officially expands coast wide, &

✅ Thanks to Holly (a BWBS team member) for capturing this moment (and the excitement) out on the 🌊 this week.

📣 Big shout out to - a leader in 🐋 protection efforts and regular whale tail award recipient - for showing how it’s done with a few humpbacks sharing the channel !

06/30/2026

What does 787 vessels (from across the 🌎’s largest shipping lines) voluntarily transiting at whale safer speeds mean for coastal communities & some of the largest species to ever grace this planet?

Over the 2025 Season, the cumulative 481,000 nautical miles (or more distance than it takes to circle the globe 2️⃣2️⃣ times) of whale safer transits resulted in:

✅ 40% lower strike risk to 🐋s,

✅ 70% decrease in the underwater noise acoustic intensity, and

✅ 1,490+ tons of NOx emissions reduced (a significant dent in a source of 💨 pollution for many communities).

**Thank you** to the dedicated mariners, shipping lines and brand ambassadors who make this all possible!
𝘼𝘿𝘼𝙈 𝙀𝙍𝙉𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍 🎥

Address

Santa Cruz, CA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies:

Shortcuts

Share

Category