Whale Watching San Francisco Bay Area

SausalitoSeaflow, an educational nonprofit based in the Marin Headlands and working to protect our oceans will set sail for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and newly proposed state Marine Protected Areas on July 12th . Trip participants will endeavor to become the ears and eyes of the ocean for a day. With the help of an onboard naturalist and an acoustician from Scripps Marine Laboratory they will use hydrophones to listen to and record sounds of whales and other marine mammals and wildlife. Volunteers will also use radar to monitor large cargo ships traveling through our Sanctuaries, watching for potential Cosco Busans, checking ships for Coast Guard violations and reporting back to the public on www.vesselwatchproject.org.
There is a superhighway through our Yosemites on the Sea that leads straight through the Golden Gate, says Robert Ovetz, Executive Director of Seaflow. All three contiguous national Marine Sanctuaries at the mouth of the Golden Gate are used as traffic lanes by thousands of large cargo vessels and oil tankers each year as they enter the Port of Oakland, the third busiest port in California.
Concerned citizens are looking for something they can do to protect the bay, beaches and the ocean from more and worse Cosco Busans. The Vessel Watch Project offers them a hands on way to have an immediate impact by becoming watchful ears and eyes for the ocean, Ovetz pointed out.
The ocean is being damaged by a death of a thousand cuts from large cargo vessels and oil tankerswhich emit intense low-frequency noise at the same frequency used by baleen whales, seals, sea lions, dolphins and fish, all species that depend on hearing for their survival. Ovetz notes that large vessels are the biggest source of ocean noise pollution in the ocean today and its growing worse as the level of ocean noise pollution in some areas has been doubling every decade for the past four decades. Cargo vessels and tankers also contribute to global warming and air pollution in port communities by burning bunker fuel, and are one of the leading causes of death for large whales across the globe due to striking and killing marine mammals in their rush to deliver goods to port.
To address the rapidly growing threat of noise pollution in our four California coastal marine sanctuaries, Seaflow is launching its Sanctuaries Campaign to bring effective protections to our sanctuaries and new planned network of state Marine Protected Areas along the North Central Coast that will reduce and regulate growing levels of noise pollution in our fragile sanctuaries. So far, Seaflow has been successful in achieving Vessel No Traffic Areas in the newly proposed state MPAs being established along the North Central Coast under the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act.
The Vessel Watch Project is a volunteer driven citizen watch program modeled after the Beach Watch movement. Concerned citizens, ocean lovers, surfers, swimmers, beach walkers and many others who use our beaches and ocean for recreation will monitor large vessel traffic in San Francisco Bay and ocean noise levels around our National Marine Sanctuaries and state MPAs. The evidence gathered will be used to support Seaflows campaign for slower, quieter, cleaner, and safer sanctuaries.
To sign up for the July 12th or August 2nd trip go to www.vesselwatchproject.org or contact Jackie Dragon, Campaigns Director at (415) 229-9354 , Jackie@seaflow.org

Join our Vessel Watch Project trips July 12 and August 2 and become the Ears and Eyes of the ocean
Seaflow has two more daylong whale-watching trips to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Come listen to the underwater world of sound, and learn more about ocean noise pollution and the impacts large vessels have on our Sanctuaries!
The Vessel Watch Project trips, part of Seaflows Sanctuaries Campaign to reduce and regulate ocean noise pollution in Californias four National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS) and state Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), are a hands-on, citizen-action program which will inspire participants to take actions to advocate for the reduction and regulation of ocean noise pollution in our Sanctuaries.
Our on board naturalist and acoustician will educate trip participants about the marine acoustic pollution produced by large vessel traffic in our marine Sanctuaries and the dangers these ships pose to our marine environment. Daylong trips to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and newly proposed state MPAs will bring participants a closer connection to the whales and other marine life endangered by commercial vessels and oil tankers that use our Sanctuaries as a superhighway. On these special trips, in addition to whale watching, we will monitor the acoustic environment with hydrophones listening to the natural sounds of the sea, including whales, and the noise pollution generated by large vessels. We will also use radar to monitor the speed of vessels transiting through the sanctuary. Participants in this hands-on, citizen-action and volunteer-driven project will:

Learn about the marine acoustic pollution produced by large vessel traffic in our marine Sanctuaries
Use hydrophones to listen the sounds of marine mammals and other wildlife
Make visual observation of marine mammals and other wildlife that use the Sanctuaries
Learn how to monitor vessel speed using Automatic Identification System tracking technology
Post a record of their visual and acoustic observations, the speed of observed cargo vessels, issue a press release, produce a public notice concerning vessel traffic, akin to beach closure warnings, and document the trip on the VWP website www.vesselwatchproject.org

The remaining summer trip dates are:
July 12
August 2

To sign up visit www.vesselwatchproject.org or call 415 229 9366

Summer Community Meeting, Monday, July 14th, 7-8:30 pm
Come Meet Rasa Gustaitis, Editor of California Coast & Ocean
magazine for a talk on the Plight of the Ocean

Hallie Austen Iglehart, Seaflow co-founder and council member is pleased to introduce Rasa Gustaitis, editor of California Coast & Ocean magazine published by the California Coastal Conservancy. Rasa will join us to talk about emerging issues in ocean conservation and her experience as a longtime writer and editor on oceans issues. Read the article Chronic Ocean Noise Turn Down the Volume Animals Passing in their new issue at http://www.coastandocean.org/coast_v23_no4_2007-08/articles/ocean_noise_01.htm
Rasa Gustaitis has been the editor of the quarterly California Coast & Ocean for 22 years. The nonprofit magazine covers major conservation and public access issues of public importance along the entire California coast, in coastal watersheds, and in the nearby ocean. She started as journalist on the Washington Post in 1960, has written for many publications, and is the author of three books that deal with social change and the natural environment.
Seaflows Campaigns Director Jackie Dragon will discuss opportunities for concerned citizens to get involved in our Sanctuaries Campaign by joining our final Vessel Watch Project whale watching trip to the Farallones this season on August 2nd. Hear the report from our July 12th trip and learn how you can become the ears and eyes of the ocean.
7-8:30 pm at the Seaflow office, 1062 Fort Cronkhite, Sausalito, CA 94965, 415-229-9366 , info@seaflow.org, www.seaflow.org, www.vesselwatchproject.org
Help Seaflow Realize its New Challenge Grant Goal by August 5th
Since we announced our new partnership with the Earth Friends Wildlife Foundation Seaflow has received about $6,000 in new funds towards our Challenge Grant. Seaflow has received a challenge grant from the Earth Friends Wildlife Foundation to reach its goal of raising $50,000 by August 5th. If you already give to Seaflow this is an opportune time to raise your level of giving. If you have considered giving to Seaflow now is a great time to start! Your donation will help Seaflow achieve its goal of raising $50,000 so that we can launch a strong and effective Sanctuaries Campaign to protect our California Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas. To contribute to our Challenge Grant please email Robert at robert@seaflow.org, call him at 415-229-9355 or give on-line at: http://www.seaflow.org/article.php?list=type&type=19.
Seaflow Brings a Voice for Whales to Californias National Marine Sanctuaries
Seaflows Campaigns Director, Jackie Dragon, has been speaking up for meausres to protect whales and dolphins from ocean noise pollution along the California coast at the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) meetings up and down California.
Last month, Jackie had the opportunity to speak at the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary SAC supporting proposed emergency measures be implemented to avoid ship strikes with large whales. Her suggestion that the SAC create a working group dedicated to addressing the myriad environment impact issues of shipping traffic in the Sanctuaries was well received and is expected to be in the works at the end of the summer. Seaflow plans to be a full-time participant in the working group when it is up and running. Finally, Jackie vocalized support for revised proposed regulations banning cruise ship wastewater discharge in the Sanctuary and requested adequate enforcement resources be secured and mobilized to ensure vessel compliance. Seaflow and Friends of the Earth-USA submitted a joint letter on the same day supporting these strengthened regulations on wastewater discharges.
Notably, Seaflow has been one of the few, and at times the lone NGO voice in the room at SAC meetings for Cordell Bank, Monterey Bay and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries in recent months. Weve introduced Seaflow and our work to achieve meaningful protections for marine mammals, wildlife and the ecosystems from ocean noise pollution in our Sanctuaries.
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is one of four National Marine Sanctuaries along Californias coast. The Channel Islands, Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries all formed as a result of the 1972 National Sanctuaries Act established to protect critical habitats and landmarks in U.S. waters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is charged with managing these precious resources through the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. The SACs are bodies composed of concerned members of the public to provide advice to the Sanctuary staff and ensure public participation in the management of the sanctuaries.

SF Bay Area Whale Watching.
San Francisco Bay Whale Watching
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San Francisco Bay Whale Watching

San Francisco Bay Whale Watching was the new kid on the block in whale watching and nature cruises to the Gulf of the Farallones in 2002. They have grown to be the definitive whale watching tour operation of the San Francico Bay waters with the best of breed naturalists and a mission statement of providing their customers with the best experience possible. They currently use the boat "KittyKat", which is one of the most stable boats of the San Francisco Bay area whale watching boat fleets. Vern and Cynthia, the current owners of SFBAYWHALEWATCHING.com have a passion for whales, the sea and their customers. They operate all year around. Whales Migrate through this area all the time. Call SFBayWhaleWatching.com to find out what is happending, or visit there Sea Worthy blog with current trip reports.

SF Bay Whale Watching Blog
Written By Kathleen Jacques
Excellent Photography by Kathleen Jacques and Ed Estes
"Since the June 4, 2008 selection of Sea Worthy by Google's Blogger as a "Blog of Note", more than 15,000 people from 137 countries have stopped by to take a look. Many people have sent messages of praise and encouragement. It's been amazing."
Quote from Blog Author Kathleen Jacque. Kudos Kathleen.

Whale Song Girls. A couple of girls sat on the bow of the whale watching boat singing a song they learned from an Aborigne. No whales came, but thousands of Dolphin did. Pacific Ocean, Gulf of the Farallones.