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Slow down to protect whales, Spain tells sailors

MADRID - Spain wants ships to slow down and watch out for whales while passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, one of the world's busiest maritime routes.

The recommendation drew praise Saturday from environmentalists who sought the measure for years to prevent collisions with whales. Fast ferries, especially, can be a threat to endangered sperm whales, which come to the strait from the Mediterranean to feed between February and July.

The Spanish navy's recommendation earlier this month urged ships to go no faster than 15 mph and sail "in a maximum state of vigilance" to avoid colliding with the whales.

Sailing speeds in the strait separating Europe from Africa vary greatly, but high-speed ferries can reach nearly 35 mph.

It is "the first time in the Mediterranean, and probably in Europe, a measure of this kind has been taken," said Renaud de Stephanis, a marine biologist with the Center for Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans in southern Spain.

During the feeding season, the strait is home to 20 to 30 sperm whales, which are about 60 feet long, said de Stephanis. Year round, there is a population of about 300 smaller pilot whales.

There were two confirmed collisions with sperm whales and three with fin whales between 2001-05, according to a report by de Stephanis' center.

De Stephanis said he witnessed a crash while on a research mission in September 2002.

A ferry heading from Morocco to Spain collided with a sperm whale and did not stop.

The whale died, and a maritime rescue vessel towed the carcass out of the shipping lanes and into the Mediterranean.

[Last modified February 25, 2007, 00:56:34]