Commercial shipping is essential to international trade and consumer goods. Container ships use vessel traffic schemes (VTS) that often overlap with important marine areas, creating unintended pressures and associated impacts to marine ecosystems, including whales. In particular, ship strikes are a threat to endangered blue, right, humpback, and fin whales, and ship noise can affect important mating and feeding behavior of whales as well as other marine life. This course will use this case study to help students identify the threats, pressures, and policy responses of a complex, or “wicked,” ocean-based problem. In projects teams, students will complete a Pressure State Response analysis of the problem, with the goal of developing practical and professional skills necessary to participate in complex marine planning and decision-making in their post-graduate careers. Students will also gain exposure to and an opportunity to network with experts in the field through many invited speaker presentations and panel discussions. To enhance collaborative interdisciplinary problem-solving opportunities, this course will take place at a variety of locations in the Monterey Bay region, and include interdisciplinary students from multiple campuses.