johnr":3vqrmiyd said:
thataway":3vqrmiyd said:
I wonder how they get the Orcas to stay within the 340 yard wide corridor off the S Shore of San Juan Island. (100 yard for "hand powered" kayaks, and 1/4 mile off for motorized vessels.
)
The Orcas stay there because that's where all the salmon are that they eat. The salmon run right next to shore on their way to the Fraser River. That's also why LIme KIln Park is so popular, you can see the Orcas, very close, from the shore
Five years of driving commercial whale watch boats, just for a reference. "All the salmon" probably means different things to different people (or Orcas): the number of salmon out there is
significantly down from years past. The Southern Resident Killer Whales (the salmon eaters) are in a world of hurt because of that greatly diminished food supply. I haven't been keeping track lately, but in 2017, the salmon run was 7% of normal. Yes, that is
93% LESS than normal. They are having to go further in search of a dwindling food supply.
In years past, the salmon would get pushed in on the tidal current, and you would see Orca on the west side of San Juan Island frequently... because that is where the salmon used to be. The Orca don't stick around when they can't find food. As a result, they are out in the Pacific far more than they are in the Salish Sea these days.
You want to find animals? Go where their food is. The majority of Orca sightings in the San Juans and Gulf Islands the past two years have been transient Killer Whales (the mammal eaters); they are less surface active, and seem to be less curious about boats. But, their food source, harbor seals and harbor porpoise, are plentiful.
Southern Resident Killer Whales and boats have co-existed for decades. The boats AREN'T the problem - the lack of salmon is the problem. That said, I saw people on boats violating the distance rules almost every trip out; it was rarely the commercial operators, because they know the rules and know they are always under scrutiny when around the whales.
If you think the distance rules on the west side of San Juan Island are for the protection of the whales, you are fooling yourself. There are homeowners (expensive homes) on the west side who would like to see ALL boats prohibited, all the time. If you are on the west side of San Juan Island and don't see other boats around and think you have that area all to yourself, I assure you that you are being watched. No, I am not paranoid - I know the rules and had a rangefinder at the helm to keep track of distance.
Getting to see all the wildlife in the Salish Sea on a daily basis was a special time for me. I miss being out there, but I do not miss the political aspects of rules that aren't getting to the root of the problem with the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales.
Sadly, I think we are beyond the tipping point for saving those magnificent mammals: a slowly starving population and fewer animals of breeding age. Add in the fact that this population is full of toxins (mostly from what man has put in the water) that create a survival issue for newborn Orcas (the toxins are transferred from the mother, males have no way of getting rid of the toxins).
Restricting boats to a half mile distance is a "looks like we're doing something" result, rather than
actually helping to save this mammal population.
