by Kari Koski
With the recent proposal for federal vessel regulations to protect local killer whales, it is important that everyone take the time to understand the issues. Decisions made now will affect how we conduct ourselves both in business and in our personal lives, and also determine the fate of the iconic killer whales. The decisions we face are hard and vessel regulations alone will not save this population. However, all of us benefit from the whales and we owe it to them to do everything we can to promote their recovery.
The Soundwatch program estimates that over 500,000 people watch whales in the region each year. The resident whales experienced a population decline in the mid 1990’s and have since been listed under the Endangered Species Act in the U.S. and in Washington State and as a Species at Risk in Canada. Threats are identified as prey availability, toxins, and vessel disturbance. U.S. and Canadian agencies have developed recovery plans that establish the need for vessel management actions. The Whale Museum’s Soundwatch Boater Education Program is recognized by federal, state and local governments as successful in reducing disturbance by minimizing interactions between vessels and orcas. However, increased boating pressures and continued noncompliance with guidelines and Washington state laws require the implementation and enforcement of effective and practical US and Canadian federal regulations for vessels around orca whales.
U.S. and Canadian commercial whale watch vessel operators and commercial kayakers as well as recreational vessel operators and recreational kayakers (whether resident or visitor, whale watching, fishing or cruising) routinely operate out of compliance with current guidelines and laws. The majority of the incidents, committed by all of the vessel operator types, occur along the busy corridor of the west side of San Juan Island. This is the area most often used by the whales and has the most conflicts with boaters. Soundwatch vessel incident trends show that more than half of all observed incidents are committed by private boat operators. Canadian commercial operators and US commercial operators rank second and third. The remaining incidents occur from a variety of operators including aircraft pilots, kayakers (commercial and recreational), and research/monitoring programs (including Soundwatch).
Continued finger pointing as to who is to blame and an endless debate over which of the risks is the real problem facing the whales, does nothing to help them. We are all to blame. We all contribute to the cumulative problems the whales and our ocean ecosystems are suffering. It is not just the lack of available food or just the high levels of toxins or just vessel disturbance (commercial or private) that is affecting these whales, it is all of them combined. The real questions we need to be asking ourselves are “What are we going to do about all of the risks, and how soon?”
We invite you to visit our web site, www.whalemuseum.org and click on Soundwatch Boater Education under Programs to find out more about Soundwatch and how you can comment on the proposed vessel regulations.
Kari Koski is the director of Soundwatch.
