• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Whale-Watching Guides Say Endangered Listing Won't Affect Them

Posted on: Sunday, 18 December 2005, 21:00 CST

By Katie N Johannes, The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Wash., The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Wash.

Dec. 18--After 20 years of taking people to see the now endangered Puget Sound orcas, Drew Schmidt has become somewhat of an expert. He knows not only where to find them and when, but also how many there are and which family they belong to. "There were four or five babies born just this year," says the owner of Bellingham-based Victoria San Juan Cruises. "They made it past the infant mortality range." Schmidt isn't worried about the recent endangered species listing affecting his business because his industry has imposed rules on itself that are more restrictive than federal law. He says members of Whale Watch Operators Association Northwest developed rules that would allow people to enjoy the orcas without harming them. "Without them, we don't have an industry, so we try to look out for them ourselves," Schmidt says. Although Schmidt and other members of his association preach respect and education, some wildlife advocates say bad behavior persists on the water. Peter Hamilton, founder of Lifeforce Foundation, says he has videotapes of tour operators getting too close to whales, or repeatedly racing ahead of whales and cutting them off. He radioed to an offending boat and got no response, until the captain turned the boat directly at him and nearly ran him down. "You think if they treat people like that, you wonder how they treat the animals," Hamilton says. Under federal law, people are barred from harassing or harming marine mammals. That includes cutting off the whales' path, herding them, or separating family members from each other. The National Marine Fisheries Service has issued guidelines to prevent harassment that include staying at least 100 yards away. Shane Aggergaard, president of the whale watching association and owner of Anacortes-based Island Adventures Inc., says association members have agreed to use 100 yards as a minimum if the boats and whales are moving on parallel paths. If the whales are resting, boats should give them at least 200 yards. Tour operators stay at least a quarter-mile away if the whales are spotted off San Juan Island because it's a known foraging zone. "What has happened with the commercial operators getting on the same page is that it has had an effect on private boaters," Aggergaard says. "They follow the example of commercial vessels." Aggergaard says farmers are more likely than whale watching operators to feel the effects of the endangered species listing because salmon habitat enhancement work will probably increase in an effort to boost the orcas' food source. He points out that the numbers of whales are actually on the rise, and he sees that as a trend that he attributes, in part, to improved awareness. "The level of education and respect for orcas is not nearly as bad as a decade ago," he says. "We've come a long ways."

-----

Copyright (c) 2005, The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Wash.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Bellingham Herald, Wash.

More News in this Category