Latest Short Film!
Channel of Giants : Celebrating Two Years as a Whale Heritage Area
Checkout our NEW Short Film highlighting what it means to be a whale heritage area. Join SBCWHA Co-Director Holly Lohuis on an expedition through the Santa Barbara Channel, where we encounter dozens of humpback whales, a species once near extinction off the California coast, now on the rise.
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO WATCH!
The Importance of Whale Heritage Areas
We are excited to announce the Santa Barbara Channel has become the 9th Whale Heritage Area in the world. This designation highlights the region’s commitment to promoting responsible ecotourism, providing more ocean educational opportunities, supporting on-going research and conservation efforts, and honoring the timeless cultural connection we have to whales, dolphins and porpoises.
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Stay up to date with the latest whale news, sightings, and science in the SBCWHA!
The Struggle of the Eastern Pacific Gray Whales
Understanding Their Decline and the Role of Science in Their Survival Each January, Eastern Pacific gray whales are welcomed seasonal visitors, migrating down the coast of North America from their summer feeding grounds in the Arctic to their winter breeding/birthing grounds along the coast of Baja Mexico. After a month or two in the warmer…
‘BATTLE of the BLUES’
A New Film Co-Sponsored by SBCWHA Is Screening Feb 6th & 7th at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Battle of the Blues is a 25-minute narrative film that highlights the population of Blue Whales (Balaenoptera musculus) that reside off the US west coast, specifically in Southern California. As the largest animal the world has…
WHALE OF APPRECIATION
January 2025 We are thrilled to celebrate an incredible milestone: the designation of the Santa Barbara Channel as the 9th Whale Heritage Area in the world! This prestigious recognition, awarded by the World Cetacean Alliance and World Animal Protection, underscores our region’s commitment to sustainable tourism, marine conservation, and the deep cultural connection we share…
“Whale Heritage Areas are becoming the gold standard for responsible whale watching destinations worldwide. But they also have so much more to offer. By interweaving natural and cultural elements and placing communities at their very heart, these sites will become places where people respect, celebrate and protect cetaceans and their habitats long into the future.”
Jean-Michel Cousteau Honorary President,
World Cetacean Alliance
Founder, Ocean Futures Society