Photo: Giorgios Barazoglou | Unsplash
Every year, in the waters off the California coast, hundreds of tankers, car carriers and container vessels from dozens of shipping companies take part in an unusual race: To win, ships have to go slow. Awards are given to companies whose fleets voluntarily reduce speeds in marine areas where endangered whales migrate through and feed in. The prize, known as Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies, comes with a sculptural whale-tail trophy and bragging rights. “It’s good for the environment, and we make sure the public knows about it,” said Sean Hastings, a resource protection coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a founder of the award program. The real winner may be ocean life. The slower speeds reduced the risk of fatal ship strikes in one year by 58%. “It’s like drivers slowing down in a school zone in the presence of schoolchildren,” Hastings said. “Every animal counts.”
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