To protect the endangered killer whales, federal government has issued new rules which require all recreational vessels, including whale watching boats and 0kayaks, stay twice as far away as previously required – 200 yards instead of 100 yards. Commercial fishing boats, cargo ships traveling in established shipping lanes, and government and research vessels are exempt.
According to NOAA Fisheries noise from boats can interfere with the sensitive sonar the whales use to navigate and find food. The agency’s killer whale recovery plan, released in early 2008, calls for reducing how much vessels disturb the whales. The agency also said that the orcas are also threatened by a shortage of Chinook salmon and water pollution.
The new rules also forbid vessels from intercepting a whale or waiting in its path. However, NOAA did back off of one proposed regulation following a community outcry. That would have barred vessels entirely in a half-mile-wide zone along the west side of San Juan Island – a popular fishing spot – from May 1 through the end of September.
