Ships Near LA Ports Asked to Slow Down to Avoid Endangered Whales

Delays in the transfer of cargo continue in Southern California as vessels line the horizon waiting offload containers into the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A federal wildlife sanctuary program is asking the record number of cargo ships and other vessels along the Southern California coast to slow down to try to protect a local population of endangered whales.

A supply chain crisis has turned the Channel Island region into a watery parking lot for waiting container ships, posing real threats to endangered blue, humpback, and fin whales in the area, according to Sean Hastings, a resource protection coordinator at the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.