According to the news report the federal agency in charge of protecting Puget Sound orcas has come up with new rules which would prohibit vessels from coming closer than 200 yards of the endangered mammals. NOAA Fisheries Service comments that the rules safeguard killer whales, which depend on sophisticated sonar to navigate and forage for food. It also said that the whales can be affected by underwater noise from boats and vessels that approach too close or block their paths.
It is informed that the proposed rules would prohibit vessels from intercepting or parking in the path of a whale. It also sets up a half-mile “no-go” zone along the west side of San Juan Island where most vessels won’t be allowed from May 1 to September 30. Barry Thom, acting head of the agency’s Northwest office, said that the idea here is to give these remarkable animals even more real, meaningful protection.
Many U.S. and Canadian whale-watching operators and private boaters follow voluntary guidelines that recommend vessels give whales a 100-yard buffer. Pollution and a lack of food, particularly salmon, are believed to be the whales’ biggest threats, but stress from whale-watching, commercial and recreational boats has also contributed to their decline.
