Huge container ships that pass though the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of Southern California will be paid an extra $2,500 per trip if they slow down; the initiative is part of an effort to protect the region's blue whales.
The pilot program, which started in July, will last for four months. It is run by federal and local officials as well as an environmental group, Reuters reported.
"Slowing down ships is a good thing for air pollution, endangered species protection and human health," Kristi Birney, marine conservation analyst with the Environmental Defense Center based in Santa Barbara told Reuters. Slowing down can also help reduce atmospheric pollution.
Only last week a dead fin whale washed up on the shore of Port Hueneme.
Six shipping companies have agreed to participate in the program. The timing is lines up with the busiest whale feeding season in the region; the program participants hope this will help save the life of endangered blue whales. Whales are often found washed up on shore with blunt force trauma from collisions.
"The estimated population of blue whales in this part of the Pacific is 2,500, so every whale counts toward this population moving off the endangered species list," NOAA policy analyst Sean Hastings told Reuters.
About 5,000 ship pass through the channel annually. The participating ships will be paid to slow down to 12 knots instead of the typical speed of between 14 and 18 knots. The $2,500 bonus is not enough to cover the amount of time the participating ships will lose, but the agencies hope it will be enough of an incentive.
"Nobody wants to hit these fabulous animals," Santa Barbara Foundation community investment officer Sharyn Main told Reuters.
The initiative is backed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District and the non-profit Environmental Defense Center, Reuters reported.
