Hundreds of endangered whales have been killed off the California coast just within the past few years – unintentionally, and often unknowingly, by fast-moving ships.
The phenomenon, known as “ship strikes” is one of the leading causes of death for threatened and endangered whales.
While the federal government has instituted a voluntary speed limit off the San Francisco coast to curb whale collisions, an NBC Bay Area investigation exposes which major cruise lines and shipping companies regularly surpass those speed limits.
The lack of compliance within the shipping industry has pushed environmental advocates to develop new technology to help vessels avoid ship strikes.
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Senior Investigative Reporter Bigad Shaban has the deep dive.
