As we launch into a new season (which includes a geographic expansion to include Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary), we're also celebrating the progress made during the past few months of Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies (BWBS). It’s been a busy but rewarding period, with results that are truly worth singing about—especially if you're a whale. Dive in to learn about key environmental benefits results from the 2024 VSR season, aerial survey findings, a successful milestone awards event, a powerful short film, and new program Ambassadors.

The BWBS program marked its 10th season in 2024 with measurable and meaningful results for marine life and air quality along the California coast. Through collaborative efforts with program partners and shipping participants, the program reduced the risk of fatal ship strikes to endangered whales by 50%, underwater noise by 38%, and prevented over 1,400 tons of smog-forming pollution and nearly 50,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. This milestone year not only highlights a decade of science-driven progress but also sets the stage for continued innovation and stewardship in 2025 and beyond. Watch the one-minute video reel.

A whopping 108 whales were sighted by CMSF staff and partners across 8 aerial surveys of the Santa Barbara Channel shipping lanes in 2024! Beyond helping our team (and NOAA) better understand endangered whale presence in the region, this data also underscores the importance of programs like Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies to reduce the threat of collisions between whales and ships in areas like these where they overlap.

The Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program celebrated its ten-year anniversary and held an awards ceremony at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles on April 16th. At the event, the top-performing shipping lines that participated in the 2024 Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) season and ambassadors were recognized and all program partners and supporters celebrated a decade of safer whales, cleaner air, and a quieter ocean.

Over the past few weeks, Brist Mfg, Zen Paradise, STAX Engineering and Mistral Soap have all signed on as program ambassadors, as well as Huffy, Niner, Buzz eBikes, and Batch Bicycles (bringing the number of bicycle brands committed to more responsible shipping up to five alongside Santa Cruz bicycles)! May also happens to be National #BikeMonth, an opportunity to celebrate the many benefits of bicycling, including of course, that riding a bike instead of driving a gasoline- or diesel-burning vehicle reduces greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to cleaner air. 

The film "BATTLE of the BLUES" directed by wildlife filmmaker Adam Ernster, dives into the past, present, and future threats to blue whales, as well as the many conservation efforts like Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies in place to help protect it. It has been featured in film festivals across the state, and recently showed at the International Ocean Film Festival in San Francisco where it was one of 30 films selected out of 200 applicants! A shorter version of the film was also showcased at the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies ceremony.

Alongside Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (CHNMS) and Channel Islands Naturalist Corps, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the BWBS Program filled a large booth to engage with the California Central Coast community on Saturday and Sunday April 26th and 27th. Marine Protected Area and CHNMS materials on endangered whale protection and BWBS were provided. Guests wrote postcards to shipping lines to express their appreciation for their cooperation with vessel speed reduction requests.