A new voluntary program that aims to lower air pollution and protect whales off California coast will be paying ships to slow their speed.

Per the program, shipping firms will get $2500 for each low-speed trip completed at 12 knots or lower through the Santa Barbara Channel (a 130-mile stretch from Point Conception to the LA- Long Beach port area). Normally, the cruising speed of ships varies between 14 knots to 18 knots.

The Santa Barbara Channel is a key feeding area for blue whales that are migrating. The reduced speeds of ships are anticipated to lower the risk of ships hitting whales, which can be fatal for the marine mammals. Moreover, the low speeds would also give them ample time to swim away from nearing ships. Another benefit of low ship speed is that the massive engines release less air pollution.

"It's a very simple but clever solution: When you slow ships down you provide whale conservation and cleaner air for us to breathe here on shore," said Kristi Birney, marine conservation analyst for the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center, one of the backers of the initiative.

The initiative is the brainchild of air regulators, environmentalists and federal wildlife officials. However, the incentive being offered is only applicable to vessels traveling through the Santa Barbara Channel.

The effort aims at tackling concerns over ship strikes that have resulted in the death of several endangered whale species like the blue, humpback and fin over the past 10 to 15 years.

The trial program will pay for 16 low-speeds trips via the Santa Barbara Channel and sees participation from six global shipping companies. The period of the program is from July 2014 to end of Oct. 2014, which overlaps with the peak season of blue whale feeding in the area. This is also the same time of the year when Southern California experiences maximum concentration of ozone.

Advocates of the initiative opine that the trial period will aid in the evaluation of the impact of lower speed on the quality of air, as well as whales. The trial will also help them gauge if the shipping industry is keen on participating in such programs in the long term before it is undertaken on a bigger scale.

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is administering the program.