Sponsors (10)
Official title: To require a pilot program to enhance existing efforts to mitigate vessel impacts on large cetaceans in the San Francisco Bay region, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 22, 2026 by Sam T. Liccardo · Last progress April 22, 2026
The bill funds a coordinated, four‑year pilot using new detection tech and interagency data‑sharing to give mariners near‑real‑time whale location info—improving safety and conservation—while risking limited effectiveness from minimal staffing, modest taxpayer costs, potential burdens on operators, and AI accuracy/transparency concerns.
Coastal vessel operators and coastal communities receive near‑real‑time cetacean sighting information, reducing the risk of vessel‑whale collisions and improving maritime safety and marine life protection.
Researchers, federal/state partners, and mariners will run a four‑year pilot testing new detection and tracking technologies (including AI), potentially improving long‑term monitoring, conservation, and early‑warning capabilities for large cetaceans.
Federal, state, and local agencies will enter formal data‑sharing MOUs, producing more coordinated and timely information flow about whale locations to support operational decisions and incident response.
The pilot is capped at two full‑time equivalents (FTEs), which may constrain monitoring capacity, slow response times, and limit the effectiveness of near‑real‑time alerts to mariners.
Reliance on AI and algorithmic tools without sufficient validation could produce inaccurate or opaque detections, raising transparency concerns and the risk of operational decisions based on flawed automated outputs.
Implementing local variances, voluntary measures, and required training/reporting may impose additional operational burdens and costs on vessel operators, disproportionately affecting small operators.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a four-year pilot Cetacean Desk in the San Francisco VTS to share near‑real‑time whale sightings, coordinate data, and communicate with vessel operators.
Creates a four-year pilot Cetacean Desk inside the San Francisco Vessel Traffic Service to monitor and share near-real-time sightings and locations of large whales in San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Strait. The Desk will be limited to up to two full-time equivalents, coordinate with federal, state, Tribal, academic, industry, and public data sources, and communicate with vessel operators to reduce harmful interactions and ensure compliance with laws and guidance. Requires Transportation and Commerce (NOAA) coordination to stand up the Desk within one year, authorizes memoranda of understanding to share data, and directs evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies (including AI/algorithmic tools) and existing research partnerships to improve detection, identification, tracking, forecasting, and communications. The pilot must consult Tribal governments and the State of California and may be supported by other federal staff and partners.