Boaters must keep 200 metres from orcas

Boaters will be required to stay at least 200 metres away from resident killer whales in Canadian waters, federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday.

Regulations mandating the distance will be in place before spring, he said.

LeBlanc told reporters outside the House of Commons he heard loud and clear from scientists at a symposium this month that more needs to be done — not just to protect the orcas, but also to help recovery efforts to boost the population.

There are only about 78 southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea, the series of waterways off the southern coast of B.C. and northern coast of Washington state that includes the Strait of Georgia, Juan de Fuca Strait and Puget Sound.

Scientific evidence shows noise from large ships and whalewatching tour boats is one of the biggest threats to the whales, as it disturbs their ability to use sound to find food.

Washington state has a strict law forcing boats to stay almost 200 metres away from the whales at all times. In Canada, the limit is 100 metres and it’s a guideline, not a requirement.

Tom Mitchell of Victoria’s B.C. Whale Tours said the news is not unexpected, given discussions at the symposium in Vancouver.

“I’m not surprised,” he said, noting that local operators are already bound by American rules when they are in their waters. “It won’t really change much.”

People in the whale-watching industry have the utmost respect for marine life, Mitchell said, adding that the main problem for resident orcas is the supply of salmon they feed on.

Howard Garrett of the Orca Network, a Washington-based group aimed at raising awareness of orcas and protecting them, said the new regulations are a positive step that will bring consistency on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.

“It relieves the confusion of the whale-watching boats, or any boaters,” he said.

LeBlanc said his department is working as fast as possible to get regulations in place to require boats to stay at least 100 metres away from other marine mammals and 200 metres away from killer whales. “We think the time has come for the government to make this quick and decisive step,” LeBlanc said.

He said he is asking whalewatching tour operators to voluntarily respect the 200-metre limit immediately, saying the companies have been among the strongest voices calling for protection of the whales.

LeBlanc and Transport Minister Marc Garneau both said this is just the first in a series of measures coming over the next few months to protect marine mammals.

LeBlanc is hosting a discussion in Moncton next month to help determine what needs to be done to protect north Atlantic right whales. Thirteen right whales have been killed by boats and fishing gear in the Gulf of St. Lawrence this year, and another three died in American waters.

He said the government will look at every option possible for protecting whales, including making a speed limit for vessels in the gulf permanent, enacting new regulations on fishing gear or changing crab fishing season dates to ensure equipment is removed from the water before the whales migrate into the gulf.