WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:16.460 Between the coast of Southern California and the Channel Islands lies a 00:00:16.460 --> 00:00:21.580 70 nautical mile stretch of the Pacific Ocean known as the Santa Barbara Channel. 00:00:21.580 --> 00:00:23.940 The exciting things about this region, 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:25.640 the Southern California Bight and the Santa 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:29.449 Barbara Channel in particular is it's one of the most reliable places to see 00:00:29.449 --> 00:00:31.880 concentrations of blue whales anywhere in the world. 00:00:31.880 --> 00:00:34.100 Blue whales occur throughout the world's oceans 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:36.280 and occured in some of their largest numbers 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:39.740 in the Southern Ocean. But right now with what whaling has done, 00:00:39.740 --> 00:00:43.760 this is probably the best place to see blue whales around the year. 00:00:43.760 --> 00:00:46.300 There are areas that can get hundreds of blue whales 00:00:46.300 --> 00:00:48.979 in an area feeding and that's something you don't 00:00:48.979 --> 00:00:51.020 run into anywhere else in the world. 00:00:51.020 --> 00:00:53.690 This same channel also serves as an important 00:00:53.690 --> 00:00:55.980 passageway for another ocean giant: 00:00:55.980 --> 00:00:59.120 container ships. Maritime shipping is the 00:00:59.120 --> 00:01:01.220 lifeblood of the global economy. 00:01:01.220 --> 00:01:03.780 At any given moment across the globe, 00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:09.160 thousands of container ships are steaming across oceans, delivering 90% of our everyday 00:01:09.170 --> 00:01:10.640 goods and products. 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:15.140 In the Santa Barbara Channel alone, more than 2,700 ships 00:01:15.140 --> 00:01:17.360 power through these waters annually 00:01:17.360 --> 00:01:19.840 making it a very busy shipping lane. 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:24.300 One of the emerging threats to many large whale species, not just blue whales, 00:01:24.300 --> 00:01:28.600 has been ship strikes. These ships move incredibly fast and these whales that 00:01:28.610 --> 00:01:32.810 just are not used to this kind of a threat don't seem to know how to avoid 00:01:32.810 --> 00:01:34.940 that or even recognize it as a threat. 00:01:34.940 --> 00:01:36.410 So that puts them in vulnerability of 00:01:36.410 --> 00:01:38.340 actually just being run over by the ship, 00:01:38.340 --> 00:01:41.100 either hit by the bow or sometimes hit by the propeller. 00:01:41.100 --> 00:01:44.480 We understand that no ship captain wants to hit a blue whale 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:47.180 or humpback whale or fin whale as they come through the channel. 00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:49.880 We also understand that they have busy schedules to keep 00:01:49.880 --> 00:01:52.080 as they move the world's goods from 00:01:52.080 --> 00:01:53.840 Asia to the West Coast. 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:56.960 Our mandate at Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary 00:01:56.960 --> 00:02:00.480 are to protect these blue, humpback, and fin whales as they come 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:02.480 here every summer to feed. 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:12.980 Shipping has also been linked to increased air pollution in coastal communities. 00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:18.740 We estimate that ships contribute more than 50% of our nitrogen oxides pollution 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:22.260 in Santa Barbara County, and in Ventura County it's more than 25%, 00:02:22.260 --> 00:02:27.240 and we are very concerned about that because NOx combines to form ozone, 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:29.560 which is a principal component of smog. 00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:32.020 And it's very very harmful to human health. 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:35.340 We're worried about exhaust in this community. 00:02:35.340 --> 00:02:38.900 Asthmatic children have inflamed airways. 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:41.820 These are the tubes that go into the lungs. 00:02:41.820 --> 00:02:45.140 And they're very sensitive to anything 00:02:45.140 --> 00:02:46.940 that will make inflammation worse. 00:02:46.940 --> 00:02:50.120 Nitrogen oxide is one of those things 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:53.650 because it's converted by sunlight to ozone and it's a 00:02:53.650 --> 00:02:56.080 pro-inflammatory mediator, ozone is, 00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:59.600 and will make the inflammation in the lungs even worse, 00:02:59.600 --> 00:03:01.800 making it more difficult for them to breathe. 00:03:03.020 --> 00:03:04.560 Groups from Santa Barbara and 00:03:04.570 --> 00:03:08.910 Ventura counties formed a unique partnership to try a new approach. 00:03:08.910 --> 00:03:11.600 Voluntary vessels speed reduction. 00:03:11.600 --> 00:03:13.630 The vessel speed reduction incentive program 00:03:13.630 --> 00:03:16.989 offers financial incentives to ships that are willing to slow down 00:03:16.989 --> 00:03:19.960 voluntarily as they pass through the Santa Barbara Channel. 00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:23.120 On average, ships traveling through the Santa Barbara Channel 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:25.200 are traveling 14 to 18 knots. 00:03:25.209 --> 00:03:29.049 In the incentive-based program, we're asking that they slow down to 12 knots and 00:03:29.049 --> 00:03:32.440 we're offering a bonus if they're willing to slow down to 10 knots. 00:03:32.440 --> 00:03:36.579 There are certain speeds where the vessels are more energy efficient and therefore use 00:03:36.579 --> 00:03:39.360 less fuel and produced fewer air emissions. 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:42.180 You know, reducing speed really does reduce air pollution. 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:44.220 The way that works, it's just like your car. 00:03:44.220 --> 00:03:46.720 As you know, your car is more fuel efficient 00:03:46.720 --> 00:03:50.680 say if you're operating at 45 or 55 rather than say at 85. 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:54.520 So slowing down does get you that better fuel efficiency. 00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:56.180 The same thing is true with a vessel. 00:03:56.180 --> 00:03:58.560 By slowing down the vessel to something closer to the 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:03.200 optimal speed, we can reduce fuel consumption and that reduces the air pollution. 00:04:03.200 --> 00:04:06.670 Maersk is really committed to a healthy environment and that's why we 00:04:06.670 --> 00:04:10.120 really value this opportunity to partner with this innovative team on this 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:12.300 voluntary speed reduction program 00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:16.780 This program is really what I think we all 00:04:16.780 --> 00:04:19.540 aspire to achieve. 00:04:19.540 --> 00:04:21.730 A program that achieves the 00:04:21.730 --> 00:04:28.120 results on a voluntary basis, where private industry sees that there is 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:33.010 a better way of doing things that still allows them to achieve their bottom line 00:04:33.010 --> 00:04:37.360 but is being sensitive to the impact to the environment. 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:40.680 It's always gratifying when you can work in partnership 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:42.780 with private industry and we've been very 00:04:42.790 --> 00:04:45.940 excited to see the way the shipping companies have really come to the table, 00:04:45.940 --> 00:04:47.820 have talked to us about the program, 00:04:47.820 --> 00:04:50.050 have helped us form the program, and are now 00:04:50.050 --> 00:04:52.560 very actively participating in the program. 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:55.800 Initially as usual we're a little reluctant, 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:57.850 but when we actually got to the point that I picked up the phone, 00:04:57.850 --> 00:04:59.800 talking to another human face, 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:02.320 and it opened up the dialogue and realized that NOAA 00:05:02.320 --> 00:05:05.590 wasn't out there to be very heavy-handed with what you're trying to accomplish 00:05:05.590 --> 00:05:08.760 and in trying to have it one way it's been two ways. 00:05:08.760 --> 00:05:10.419 Slowing ships down is a 00:05:10.419 --> 00:05:12.940 solution to multiple environmental challenges. 00:05:12.940 --> 00:05:15.540 Slower ships are safer ships for whales. 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:17.960 Slower ships emit less air pollution. 00:05:17.960 --> 00:05:20.100 And slower ships are quieter ships, 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:23.060 reducing the noise impacts in a very noisy ocean. 00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:25.260 Fifty years ago many 00:05:25.270 --> 00:05:28.300 scientists who studied whales thought the blue whale was doomed to extinction. 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:31.740 And we're fortunate now that we've seen that turn around. 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:34.420 Populations around the world are slowly recovering 00:05:34.420 --> 00:05:36.240 and one of the biggest success stories we have here 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:37.560 is in the Santa Barbara Channel. 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:40.120 I think all the partners in this program 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:42.880 recognized that it's a very special project. 00:05:42.880 --> 00:05:46.060 We've brought together really diverse interests -- 00:05:46.060 --> 00:05:50.280 government agencies, nonprofits, private industry -- and created 00:05:50.289 --> 00:05:55.600 a voluntary, non-regulatory solution that addresses all these problems together -- 00:05:55.600 --> 00:06:01.420 air pollution, greenhouse gases, whale protection -- in this very special marine environment. 00:06:01.420 --> 00:06:05.200 We look forward to continuing and expanding this program.