Liccardo Introduces “Save Willy Act” to Protect Bay Area Whales

Washington, D.C. - Today, on Earth Day, Congressman Sam Liccardo (CA-16), along with cosponsors Representatives Panetta (CA-19), Garamendi (CA-8), Lofgren (CA-18), Khanna (CA-17), Mullin (CA15), Garcia (CA-42), Hernández (PR-At Large), Levin (CA-49), Lieu (CA-36), introduced the Save Willy Act to prevent whale deaths in the San Francisco Bay.

The bill establishes a "Whale Desk" in the U.S. Coast Guard's San Francisco station, where the public and mariners can report sightings and alert vessel operators when whales enter the area-preventing deadly collisions. It also directs the Coast Guard to evaluate innovative technologies for whale tracking and alerts.

"Researchers track these whales daily, but we can scale their impact by crowd-sourcing data from the many more numerous commercial and recreational boats, and building a centralized alert system," said Liccardo. "A whale desk will protect these magnificent creatures and help mariners avoid costly, harrowing collisions. Together, let's Save Willy."

In 2025, the San Francisco Bay Area recorded 24 whale deaths in the region-21 of them gray whales-the highest in 25 years. At the start of this year's migratory season, seven gray whales have already died in the Bay-eight across the wider Bay Area.

Scientists report roughly 13,000 Eastern Pacific Gray Whales remain-the lowest level since the 1970s-as changes in Arctic feeding grounds reduce food supply. Whales now enter the Bay more frequently in search of food, bringing them into one of the nation's busiest shipping corridors and increasing the risk of deadly collisions.

In July 2025, Liccardo penned a letter co-signed by the entire Bay Area delegation raising the alarm on the unprecedented number of whale deaths and demanding answers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on whether funding and staffing cuts impacted the agency's ability to safeguard our oceans and marine life. In its response, NOAA cited ongoing ecosystem changes in Arctic feeding grounds-driven in part by climate change-that alter gray whale behavior and drive whales to enter the Bay in search of food.

"With at least eight whale deaths already recorded this year in the San Francisco Bay Area, we welcome the attention this bill brings to protecting whales in coastal waters. We're grateful for the chance to highlight the important, ongoing role of the U.S. Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Service in helping keep both marine life and vessel traffic safe where boats and whale habitats overlap." said Kathi George, Director of Cetacean Conservation Biology at The Marine Mammal Center.

"Oceana strongly supports this bill to protect whales in the San Francisco Bay area from vessel strikes. The Bay Area is not only a vital economic hub, it's also important for migrating and foraging whales. By improving coordination with the maritime industry and investing in real-time monitoring of whale presence and movement, this bill takes a smart, collaborative approach to reducing collisions with boats. With whale fatalities on the rise, this legislation recognizes that we can - and must - protect whales as they navigate one of the busiest waterways on the West Coast," said Oceana California Campaign Director and Senior Scientist Geoff Shester.

"The Monterey Bay Aquarium supports efforts to protect whales from vessel strikes off California. We commend Representative Liccardo for introducing legislation to improve coordination and data-sharing among the agencies and industries that share these waters with many important whale species," said Aimee David, Vice President for U.S. & California Ocean Conservation, Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Endorsing Organizations: The Marine Mammal Center, Animal Welfare Institute, Monterey Bay Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences, and Oceana.

Bill text HERE.