Endangered
whales to be given wider berth
NOAA’s
Fisheries Service issued new rules April 14, 2011 on vessel traffic,
aimed at
protecting Southern Resident killer whales in Washington’s Puget Sound.
These
charismatic marine mammals, popular with tourists, whale-watch
operators and
the general public, were added to the Endangered Species list in late
2005.
The
Southern Resident population peaked at 97 animals in the 1990s, and
then
declined to 79 in 2001. It has seen slow growth since then, and now
stands at
an estimated 86 killer whales, about half of which are sexually mature.
Scientists have identified the major threats facing the population as a
shortage of its preferred prey of Chinook salmon, disturbance from
vessels, and
water pollution.
The
new rules prohibit vessels from approaching any killer whale closer
than 200
yards and forbid vessels from intercepting a whale or positioning the
vessel in
its path. This doubles the current approach distance of 100 yards. The
rules go
into effect May 16 and apply to all types of boats, including motor
boats, sail
boats and kayaks, in Washington’s inland waters.
Exemptions
to the rules for safety include vessels actively fishing commercially,
cargo
vessels travelling in established shipping lanes, and government and
research
vessels.
The
whales, which depend on their highly sophisticated natural sonar to
navigate
and find food, can be affected by underwater noise from boats and
disturbed by
vessels, including non-motorized ones, that approach too close or block
their
paths. The agency’s killer whale recovery plan, released in early 2008,
calls
for actions to reduce disturbance from vessels.
When
the regulations were originally proposed in July 2009, they included a
half-mile wide no-go zone along the west side of San Juan Island from
May 1
through the end of September, where vessels were prohibited. Due to the
extensive responses that were received during the public comment
period, the
final regulations do not include the no-go zone, and NOAA’s Fisheries
Service
will instead continue to gather information to consider the concept in
future
rulemaking.
See
the Fisheries Northwest Region
Website for more information on this action: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Killer-Whales/Recovery-Implement/Orca-Vessel-Regs.cfm
Jonathan Shannon NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr Outreach Specialist (301) 713-2319 x 117 jonathan.shannon@noaa.gov