Orca in PNW

That is thousands of visitors and a huge chunk of the economy of the area... people come to see the whales - those people stay in hotels and eat in restaurants; rent mopeds, bicycles, and cars; buy groceries; shop in all the shops and galleries. Jobs will whither.
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Amen. But again...it is western WA...
 
dotnmarty":3ajdzt67 said:
localboy":3ajdzt67 said:
New rules in Puget Sound. Governor InsLIE will sign them...
The governor's name is Inslee. I don't appreciate the cheap shot.
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Cheap? No. I think the word you are looking for is ACCURATE.
 
localboy":2g0kxclr said:
dotnmarty":2g0kxclr said:
localboy":2g0kxclr said:
New rules in Puget Sound. Governor InsLIE will sign them...
The governor's name is Inslee. I don't appreciate the cheap shot.
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Cheap? No. I think the word you are looking for is ACCURATE.
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I think the word is unnecessary. Let's please try to leave our personal political opinions elsewhere. They don't belong on a boating web site and they do little but elicit trouble.
 
https://mynorthwest.com/1453200/whale-watching-company-lawsuit-orcas/?show=comments#comments

“They could let their passengers know that the southern residents are starving to death,” said North. “So, they’re going to leave those whales alone so they can hunt and forage in peace.”
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Passengers? What passengers? If her “idea(ology)” passes, there won’t be any passengers. This is merely another ploy to reach their ultimate goal of no boats allowed around the San Juan Islands, period. The proverbial foot in the door technique so well established in this region.
 
localboy":24mz5erx said:
https://mynorthwest.com/1453200/whale-watching-company-lawsuit-orcas/?show=comments#comments

“They could let their passengers know that the southern residents are starving to death,” said North. “So, they’re going to leave those whales alone so they can hunt and forage in peace.”
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Passengers? What passengers? If her “idea(ology)” passes, there won’t be any passengers. This is merely another ploy to reach their ultimate goal of no boats allowed around the San Juan Islands, period. The proverbial foot in the door technique so well established in this region.
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Reading the comments on that article makes it apparent that people who don't have a clue still feel the need to give their opinion. I find this situation potentially scary for anyone who operates a boat in San Juan County. Not just a commercial boat... any boat.

The commercial whale watch operators have a major stake in seeing the survival of the Southern Resident Killer Whales. These are the people who are out there everyday and understand the plight of the SRKW. A critically dwindling food source will lead to the extinction of these animals.

If you drive by a farm and see emaciated horses with their ribs showing, it is clear that they need food... the cars driving by are not the problem. Closing the road by the farm will make no difference - those animals need food.

The physiology of the Orca make it hard for the average person to see that they are undernourished. Add in the toxicity in the water (from plastics, PCBs, fertilizer run-off, etc), and it is a double whammy.

This situation, and a proposed "solution" that will do nothing, makes my heart hurt for these unique mammals.
 
The new law seems to be all about the effect of boats on the whales (e.g. sound disturbance, stress from crowding).

Perhaps the problem is the effect of all the boats on the salmon. Whatever salmon that are left, hear a bunch of boats and go somewhere else.

Either way the boats are a problem, but maybe the effect is on the fish, not the whales.

If you drive by a farm and see emaciated horses with their ribs showing, it is clear that they need food... the cars driving by are not the problem. Closing the road by the farm will make no difference - those animals need food.
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If the cars driving by are preventing the horses from crossing the road to the field of hay on the other side, then cars ARE the problem and closing the road probably will help.

The problem here is figuring out what exactly is the cause of the whales' problem and finding a solution to that. It seems that right now people are just guessing.
 
The difference between the horse and Orca analogy is the Orca are not captive - there is nothing preventing them from going where they want. Now, if the horses could burrow under the road at will, and there is no food there, it might be a fair comparison.

The SRKW have been gone from the Salish Sea most of this season. The reason: the salmon run was 7% of normal (yes, down 93%) when we were last in the San Juans. I have no figure on what it might be this season, but I'm sure some of the PNW fishermen here could chime in on that.

The SRKW are well researched. The toxicity level of these animals is the reason there is such a high infant mortality rate (the mothers pass the toxicity on to their newborn). The males have a shorter lifespan because they have no way to dispel any of that toxicity. Those are facts, not guesses. Same with the greatly diminished food source.

There is research on boat noise, but nothing definitive either way. In Haro Strait, the water depths can run 800 to over 1,000'; deep water runs right up to the shoreline on most of the west side of San Juan Island - if the whales were feeling stressed by boats (the commercial operators are either not running or running at speeds less than 7 knots when within a half mile of the Orcas), it would be easy for them to dive and move away. Based on years of daily experience, that isn't happening. Boats are not impeding the whales' movement... it isn't like corralling a horse. Commercial operators are being watched by NOAA, WDFW, and all kinds of people from shore... if there is bad behavior on the water, there will be consequences. Nobody wants that.
 
If you have the patience to listen to the 56 minute video it addresses many of the above issues but on science not opinion. I have no patience for 56 minutes but it captured my attention twice as we are so often played by propaganda like cats to lasers.

The Truth about Orcas, Seals and Chinook: A PSF Presentation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zz8aEAg7dI
 
Actually a pretty remarkable presentation. If you watch the first minute you will likely watch it all.
 
I agree that the presentation linked to by Missynme is excellent.

One graph which really got my attention is the number of the Southern Pod from 1960 to now:

srkw-population2016.png
 
It seems to me that the issue is not the number of Orcas, but their condition. When I lived there about 20 years ago, the number of Orcas in the Southern population was almost exactly the same as now. However, they appeared to be healthier (as exhibited by a better body shape).
 
ssobol":5obxtipd said:
It seems to me that the issue is not the number of Orcas, but their condition. When I lived there about 20 years ago, the number of Orcas in the Southern population was almost exactly the same as now. However, they appeared to be healthier (as exhibited by a better body shape).
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Health, most likely related to available food, and toxins, certainly is a factor. This also may contribute the the low birth rate. I suppose one could use the same argument for psychological stress...
 
thataway":5z4vp2yr said:
I agree that the presentation linked to by Missynme is excellent.

One graph which really got my attention is the number of the Southern Pod from 1960 to now:

srkw-population2016.png
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I have discussed this before. Numbers seem pretty consistent. But that does not play into the “endangered” narrative...
 
I have discussed this before. Numbers seem pretty consistent. But that does not play into the “endangered” narrative...
Agree, but those who want it to--manipulation of statistics--say it does (which it does not) because of the down slope of the last few years. Same thing with "Global Warming"- er.. "Climate Change"--sure the climate is changing, part of earth is warming, part is cooling. We have increasing CO2, and USA going to expensive "green" (which is not really environmental sound) is not going to make a blip in the CO2 issue.

People seem to want to have a 'Cause" "religion, is dead, so Orca, or Climate change becomes their religion....

Take care my friend.
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The other thing to consider that was not mentioned in that video that does not bode well for the SRKW: the number of adults of breeding age. Just like humans, these animals have a sexual maturity age and menopause age. When comparing the number of animals with any previous time, you also need to take into consideration the health and age to make even a loose guess at potential for pregnancy and birth. They have a gestation period of 15 to 18 months. Males reach sexual maturity around 13 years of age, females at 6 to 10 years.

The last time the SRKW population was this number, there were more whales (male and female) of a potential breeding age than currently.

In that video, there seemed to be a concern about "urgency and self-appointed experts (that may have no basis for that status)" - I think that is a part of what is fueling this current push to keep boats away: people looking for an "obvious bad guy." Even though boats and whales have coexisted for decades. The things that have changed: dwindling food source and increased toxins in the water.
 
Dotty and I go whale watching on a commercial vessel every year. Never had a bad experience and they always followed the rules. We've gone out of Seattle, Anacortes, Everett and LaConnor and this coming Monday going from Edmonds
A wonderful PNW experience, And, if you happen to be on the East Coast take one of those trips out of Provincetown to see some 50 foot long humpback whales.
 
The things that have changed: dwindling food source and increased toxins in the water.
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Bingo. I could point to studies re: the level of narcotics/illicit drugs in The Sound. And anyone who has been to Seattle knows it's the narco capital of WA. It's a pandemic of doper zombies.

I don't need studies to know there are way too many pinnipeds, due to decades of Federal protection. And what do pinnipeds eat? Fish...specifically, salmon.

But, yeah. It's me and my boat that are the issue.
 
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