Improved Laws for Puget Sound Orcas

Whale watc hers of the northwest may want to invest in a better pair of binoculars to observe the region’s killer whales.

On Friday, the federal government passed new legislation in an attempt to protect the endangered Orcas of Puget sound, including a law requiring whale watching boats and other recreational vessels to maintain a distance of 200 meters from the whales- more than double the length of the previous required barrier.

According to the NOAA, noise produced from large vessels interferes with the orca’s natural sonar abilities, so crucial for navigation and hunting. In addition to excess noise, the NOAA believes the decreased killer whale numbers in Puget Sound –hitting an all-time low of 79 in 2001– is the result of water pollution and a shortage of Chinook salmon. And while supporters of the new law are encouraged by a recent incline in Orca population, there are others that are less enthusiastic.

"I think that good viewing can be maintained at 200 yards, but it's not going to be the same as 100 yards," explained Jim Maya, owner of a whale watching company called Maya’s Westside Charters. "It's the difference between going to the zoo and looking at a tiger up close and being back 200 yards.”