Save Willy Act: Whale Desk in SF Bay

0:00Bay Area Federal Lawmakers dropped the Save Willie Act on Earth Day to tackle the surge in whale deaths in San Francisco Bay hitting the highest mark in 25 years. The bill set up a whale desk at the Coast Guard Station there with staff tracking whale movements and alerting boat operators to dodge collisions. Whale fatalities spiked recently with 24 deaths in 2025, mostly gray whales and 9 already in 2026-7 right in the bay from mid-march to late April. Gray whales are at their lowest numbers since wailing days, making every loss hit hard. These whales started hanging out in the busy bay around 2018, likely foraging or resting on migrations from Arctic feeding grounds too. Mexican breeding spots. Climate shifts and poor ocean food have left them skinny and weak, easy prey for boat strikes in the heavy traffic. The whale desk would pull sightings from boaters and folks on shore, plus roll out tech like artificial intelligence for better tracking and alerts. It's a four-year pilot with two full-time staffers, starting local, but I'd for wider

1:03coasts if it works. Experts call it a smart, urgent fix to keep whales and boaters safe, buying time for the struggling species while bigger ocean changes play out. You've been listening to California News today, AI-powered local news.