Conserving Whales

Keeping Whales Safe in a Changing Ocean

The Greater Farallones region is one of the world’s great feeding grounds for whales. GFA is advancing science, partnerships, and innovative solutions to reduce threats to endangered and threatened blue, fin, and humpback whales as they feed and migrate through the Greater Farallones, Cordell Bank, and northern Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries. As climate change shifts ocean conditions and whale movements, we are bringing partners together to make the ocean safer for whales across their range.

Understanding Where Whales Feed and Travel

Changing ocean conditions can shift where whales and their prey occur, increasing overlap with vessels and other human activities. GFA supports science that tracks whale distribution, habitat use, and changing ocean conditions—providing information to identify important feeding areas, anticipate changes in whale movements, and inform adaptive conservation strategies.

Turning Science Into Conservation Action

Protecting migratory whales requires collaboration across jurisdictions. In 2024, GFA convened an International Whale Symposium with whale researchers, marine protected area managers, Indigenous conservation leaders, government agencies, and maritime partners from around the world to identify research needs and advance solutions for whale conservation in a changing climate.

Following the symposium, GFA, Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries hosted government representatives from Canada to Colombia to develop a regional strategy for reducing ship strikes. Building on an earlier virtual gathering of approximately 100 participants, the workshop strengthened partnerships among marine protected areas and other conservation areas and laid the foundation for coordinated action across the Eastern Pacific.

A Future Where Whales Thrive

By connecting science, monitoring, and partnerships, GFA is helping reduce threats to whales and protect the productive ocean habitats they depend on. Together, we can create a safer, healthier ocean where whales thrive.

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