From Crosscut: “The orca iconography in Puget Sound tourist gift shops borders on sappy, but for those lucky enough to have seen an orca in the flesh, the love of these whales is not so hard to understand. Yet the whale tourism industry may also come with a darker side: Are we literally loving the Southern Resident killer whales to death?” Read the complete article
We need a Whale Protection Zone for the endangered Puget Sound Orca. New report by Orca Relief tells how a WPZ could be designed, managed, and enforced. We are calling on the US National Marine Fisheries Service to use this report as a start for setting up a WPZ. Read the new report and please sign the petition to NMFS. http://ow.ly/FGmiv
From MyNorthwest.com: Activists are calling for a limited, whale protection zone off San Juan Island to help the declining local population of endangered orcas. The protection zone could include a no-wake speed limit to cut noise and discourage whale watching boats that sometimes pursue orcas. “They need more chance to rest and to socialize in a quieter environment,” said Bruce Stedman, executive director of Orca Relief Citizens Alliance. “But particularly,
The Southern Resident Killer Whales have lost a member vital to their recovery; there now remain only 77 SRKWs. KUOW reported that J32 a (possibly) pregnant young female was found dead on Dec. 4. See http://ow.ly/FrBwX for the details and photographs.
Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance to announce this week recommendations on how a Whale Protection Zone could be designed, monitored and enforced. Orca Relief is calling on the National Marine Fisheries Service to begin the creation of a Whale Protection Zone immediately. Stay tuned. UPDATE: Report available here