Sometimes I spy on ships in the Santa Barbara Channel. It's interesting to see how many are out there, where they are heading, and how fast they are going, provided they are not anchored or in a harbor somewhere. It's also interesting to find out what type of vessels they are, their names, and how big they are.

No, I'm not clairvoyant, nor do I have connections to a spy satellite. But I do have a computer.

I can type in marinetraffic.com and noodle around on the website until a chart comes up showing the Santa Barbara Channel. Colorful, pointed figures on the chart show numerous vessels. Placing the cursor on each figure will tell me the vessel's name, its speed and course, and sometimes its destination.

It gets better.

If I click on the figure, a box pops up that often has a photo of the vessel, what type of vessel it is, its length and beam, its registry, and its radio call sign. Its destination and estimated time of arrival may also be provided. Another option allows me to see the vessel's track — I can find out where it's been and where it's headed.

I can also click on a nearby landmark, such as the Santa Barbara Harbor, and it will tell me the distance between the vessel and the harbor. Other options include recent itineraries, positions, and port calls, along with any vessels that may be nearby.

All of this is made possible with the Automatic Identification System, which has 587,734 vessels in its database and can tell you a lot about each one. All in all, it's an amazing system.

The other day I scanned the Santa Barbara Channel to see what was out there. I noted a few research vessels, oil supply boats, and research craft. I also saw a few pleasure craft, large yachts that apparently wanted everyone to know where they were.

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary vessel Shearwater was prowling off Santa Rosa Island, while Condor Express was tracking whales in mid-channel. How do I know that? It's a whale watch boat and had been proceeding at about three knots for a while. I also observed two oil spill response vessels, there in case they were needed.

I was curious to look into commercial shipping traffic. I noted one bulk carrier in the western part of the channel traveling at more than 15 knots. A container ship in the Anacapa Passage sliced along at more than 20 knots.

While it was discouraging to see large vessels blasting through the channel at such speeds, it is also heartening to know that a new program has resulted in seven global shipping companies slowing the speed of their ships to 12 knots in the Santa Barbara Channel and approaches to the Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor.

This program, administered by Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and backed by the Environmental Defense Center, awards each ship $2,500 for reducing speed. The idea is to lessen the chances of fatal collisions with endangered species of whales and to reduce air pollution.

At last report, 16 tons of nitrous oxide had been eliminated from the atmosphere. Considering that nitrous oxide is a gas, that's a very substantial reduction. By slowing to 12 knots, authorities estimate that nitrous oxide production has been cut in half.

The shipping lanes along this route have also been tweaked to allow ships to pass landward of areas where endangered species of whales congregate to feed. If any large ships stray from the lanes, they can be detected.

Peter Howorth has followed the sea for more than 50 years, first as a competitive free diver, surfer and professional diver. He captured marine mammals for sea life parks in the 1960s and founded the nonprofit Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center in 1976. He serves as an environmental consultant for offshore projects, helping to prevent impacts to marine life. He has authored books and has been a columnist for the News-Press for more than 25 years. Any opinions are his and not necessarily the newspaper's.