“Whales in a Highly Urbanized Estuary: Evaluating Risk of Ship Strike to Humpback Whales in San Francisco Bay” with Bekah Lane of the Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 7:30-8:30pm, Terra Linda High School Innovation Hub
Since 2016, humpback whales in Central California have been observed feeding inshore, even east of the Golden Gate Bridge. Vessel strike is a leading cause of death for large whales, and San Francisco Bay is full of recreational motor and sail vessels, ferries, and is home to several commercial shipping ports. For this reason, it’s important to study overlap between vessels and whales in San Francisco Bay. In this study we used sightings data from 2016 to 2019 in San Francisco Bay and compared it against vessel data to create a Habitat Risk Assessment model. This model can be used to inform and prioritize management of humpback whales in our waters.
Currently Bekah Lane is a Cetacean Field Research Specialist at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. Bekah created a ship strike risk analysis for humpback whales, which is designed to inform management for vessel traffic in San Francisco Bay. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she also created a theodolite tracking program for humpback and gray whales in San Francisco Bay, which involved the training, support and coordination of more than 40 volunteers. Bekah holds a B.S. in Zoology from Emporia State University in Kansas and an M.S. in Marine and Estuary Sciences from San Francisco State University. When she isn’t watching whales, she loves to spend the day hiking, running or reading with her dog by her side.
