Man Punished For Mowing Orcas
By Matt J. Weiss, August 30, 2008 @ 02:00 AM (EST)
Despite, in this case, it probably
being a rare occurrence, I think its important the perpetrator be
punished for violating environmental laws. More over, I think its
important that its public. A lot of times, laws meant to protect the
environment or animals are viewed as fake laws, and too many times its
easy to get out of trouble.
I am obviously never happy when I hear about someone committing the crime, I am glad that the person was punished. In the case of a British Columbia fisherman, the crime was close to my heart. I had literally come back from whale watching in the area a week ago, and had one of the best wildlife experiences in my life.
What happened was a crab fisherman came dangerously close to hitting orcas and he may actually hit one. His actions were caught on video. Though ending up in the pod of orcas may have been accident, there is no excuse for staying with them-as you must get of the way as soon as possible.
The man probably got less than what he deserves-3,500 dollar fine. Those animals are priceless, and with only 87 residents left in that particular population, one death would have been deeply felt. Thats my rant, and I hope we see more severe penalties for actions like this, and that all environmental laws are always upheld.
I am obviously never happy when I hear about someone committing the crime, I am glad that the person was punished. In the case of a British Columbia fisherman, the crime was close to my heart. I had literally come back from whale watching in the area a week ago, and had one of the best wildlife experiences in my life.
What happened was a crab fisherman came dangerously close to hitting orcas and he may actually hit one. His actions were caught on video. Though ending up in the pod of orcas may have been accident, there is no excuse for staying with them-as you must get of the way as soon as possible.
The man probably got less than what he deserves-3,500 dollar fine. Those animals are priceless, and with only 87 residents left in that particular population, one death would have been deeply felt. Thats my rant, and I hope we see more severe penalties for actions like this, and that all environmental laws are always upheld.
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