SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Whales are finding good eating in shipping lanes off California only to find themselves in harm's way from passing vessels, scientists say.
At least five whales have been fatally injured when struck by ships since July, the San Jose Mercury News reported. They include a pregnant blue whale, a member of the largest species of animal that has lived on Earth.
Baldo Marinovic, a biologist at the University of California Santa Cruz, said upwellings of water laden with nutrients have led to a population explosion of krill, tiny marine organisms consumed by baleen whales like the blue. The krill lure the whales to the continental shelf and put them in the path of giant container ships headed for San Francisco Bay.
Experts say the number of whales killed by collisions may be far higher than reported. Blue whales, for example, sink after death and will only be reported if the carcasses wash up on shore.
The U.S. Coast Guard is considering steps to protect the whales, including cutting marine speed limits and rerouting shipping lanes.
