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Officials Monitor Wayward Whale in San Diego Bay

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

The San Diego Harbor Police Department is advising boaters to maintain a safe distance from a wayward gray whale that has strayed into San Diego Bay. The whale was first spotted Tuesday afternoon near Harbor Island. It was seen swimming in the waters off the Embarcadero Wednesday. Since it was spotted, the animal's movements have been monitored by the Coast Guard and Harbor Police.

As a result, boaters are being advised to watch out for the 25-to 30-foot long whale. Harbor Police said they are concerned that people may be trying to make contact with the whale and are reminding the public they will enforce the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which prevents the harassment, capture, injury or killing of all species of marine animals, including whales. Federal guidelines suggest boaters keep at least 100 yards distance.

Some boaters have stepped in to try and protect the whale. Troy Sears, owner of Next Level Sailing, located in the Embarcadero, helped alert other boaters to the animal's presence in the bay on Tuesday. He said he first heard of the event while returning from a whale watching tour. He offloaded his passengers, then headed back into the bay around 3:30 p.m. when he spotted the whale.

"It was an amazing experience. We shut our engines off and kept at a distance," Sears said.

He then launched into action to help alert other boaters to stay clear of the whale and slow down. Sears said the whale seemed to be older than an infant but younger than a juvenile. He estimated that in human years, it would be about 10 years old.

"We could tell it seemed like it was healthy. We just felt it was lost."

Sears and his crew "babysat" the whale until about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday when they lost sight of it. But once the sun came up on Wednesday, more whale sighting reports began coming in. Port employees along the Broadway Street Pier said they caught glimpses of the whale around 11:30 a.m.

U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service are aware of the whale's presence in the Bay and said they will respond if it has not made it back to sea within a couple of days.

From late December to early April, San Diego celebrates the migration of thousands of California Gray Whales. Their annual journey takes them from the Bering Sea, past the San Diego coast, to the protected warm waters off Baja California, Sonora and Sinoloa, Mexico. The longest migration route of any mammal, the gray whales travel nearly 13,000 miles roundtrip each year.  For more information on Whale Watching tours, visit The Big Bay.com.