LOS ANGELES – At about noon today, a Coast Guard Helicopter reported sighting a Blue Whale approximately 4 miles Southwest of the entrance to the Port of Los Angeles.
The helicopter air crew observed the whale swim underneath a tug and barge operating in the area. The crew then confirmed with the vessel that it had not made any contact with the whale. The vessel spotted a blue whale a few minutes later about one quarter of a mile away.
Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service and the Marine Exchange of Southern California are broadcasting a marine information broadcast to alert vessel traffic in the area as a precaution to protect both shipping and the whale.
Collisions with whales or sightings of injured whales should be reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at (562) 980-4017. Boaters can contact the U.S. Coast Guard on Channel 16.
For more information on U.S. Coast Guard living marine resource protection please visit http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/g-opl/LMR/LMR.htm
For more information on Blue Whales from NOAA, please visit http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/bluewhale.htm
