But, I still think about those spectacular Orcas. This afternoon, Joan saw some dolphins while crossing the bridge off our island on her way to the store. Yeah, I was home with Rufus, so I missed that. He is really cute, though...
Back to the Orcas: there has been an on-going discussion on the C-Dory owners group site regarding proposed new regulations in Washington State that will affect how people are able to view the Orcas. Here is the most recent link regarding those regulations...
http://mynorthwest.com/1348879/washington-state-orca-bills-2019/
Essentially, the rule change will be extending the distance away from Orcas at 300 yards, where it was 200 previously; 400 yards if the Orcas are on the move (and they are almost always on the move). I didn't see any mention of a minimum distance in front of or behind the Orcas, which has been 400 yards. The 7 knot speed limit within a half mile of Orcas is the same as what the members of the Pacific Whale Watch Association had agreed to years ago.
Since I am not working for a whale watch company these days, I have no dog in this fight, but I have been watching these proposed changes with interest. Guests on the boats have had to be educated regarding the previous distances... sometimes there were complaints or questions about "Why can't you get closer since that small boat is WAY closer?" (Where private boats violating the distance rules was a near daily occurrence.) We worked with range finders to determine distance; use radios with other commercial boats to notify regarding whale movement. What looks like the occasional (rare) chaos (when whales are close to Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor) is actually quite organized until someone violates the operating guidelines and cuts between boats or stops between another boat and the whales... and is generally not a commercial operator. I have seen some "cowboy" operators, but that may be a factor of the laws in our neighbor to the north not requiring an actual captain's license for boats with 12 passengers or less.
The commercial operators who belong to the PWWA (almost all of them) want safe, sustainable, and respectful wildlife viewing. Their businesses depend on it.
One part of that linked article states that there are "only 75 Orcas left in the Puget Sound area"... that is only partially true: there are 75 Southern Resident Killer Whales left. Most of the sitings of Orcas in the past couple of months have been Biggs Killer Whales (aka transient Orcas). The transient Orcas are not in dire straits like the SRKW population. Sadly, I think we are on the verge of an extinction of the SRKW (the "salmon eaters) due to diminished food source, and toxicity (of the waters and the whales themselves). The transient Orcas are mammal eaters, and there is no shortage of their food supply (seals, harbor porpoise, sea lions, etc). That article makes no distinction between the Orca types, nor any mention of the Biggs KW.
Whale watching brings thousands of visitors to the PNW; I think these restrictions (personal opinion, based on experience) will have no effect on the SRKW population (they need FOOD!), but will ultimately affect the commercial whale watch operators, when visitors cannot be close enough to see and hear the interaction between these magnificent marine mammals. For many people, this exposure to Orcas is the beginning of their appreciation for the plight of the SRKW and the opportunity to see these animals in their natural environment. (Another opinion coming up) For these animals that travel 70 to 100 miles per day in search of food, there is NO tank that can be built large enough to give them the freedom and stimulation they truly deserve.
These are intelligent, social, familial mammals. They have a language. They are insightful. They experience joy and grief.
It was a pleasure to take people to see the Orcas, and to work for a company that practiced respectful wildlife viewing; a company with biologist/naturalists onboard each of our boats to explain behavior, point out local interest/history features, and answer questions. There is some amazing wildlife viewing in the Salish Sea, but it is the hope to see Orcas that brings most people. I get that. I hope these new regulations don't change how visitors feel about this opportunity.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim
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