By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
The San Juan County Marine Resources Committee will discuss the proposed vessel regulations issued by NOAA Fisheries for the Southern Resident Killer Whales during their regular meeting on September 2 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Islanders Bank Annex in Friday Harbor.
The MRC is developing background information and advisory recommendations on the proposed rule for the County Council. The MRC agenda will include time for comments from the public as part of the discussion.
The Southern Resident Killer Whales spend several months each year in the San Juan Islands, typically between May and October. The whales suffered a decline of 20% from 1996 to 2001 and were listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2005. NOAA issued a recovery plan for the whales in 2007. Availability of prey, exposure to toxins and vessel disturbance are risk factors associated with their decline.
The regulations proposed by NOAA Fisheries would prohibit vessels from approaching any killer whale closer than 200 yards and forbids vessels from intercepting or parking in the path of a whale.
In addition, a half mile wide no-go zone for vessels would extend from Mitchell Bay to Eagle Point along the west side of San Juan Island from May 1 to the end of September.
Vessels exempt from the rules would be cargo vessels in established traffic lanes, government and research vessels, commercial fishing vessels directly engaged in setting and retrieving nets and vessels used by landowners for access to private land.
Under the proposed regulations, all other motorized boats — including commercial whale watching boats, and non-motorized craft — including kayaks, would be banned from the area during the affected months.
NOAA will hold public hearings on the proposed rule on September 30 at the Seattle Aquarium and at the Grange in Friday Harbor on October 5, 7 – 9 PM. The MRC is expected to present its recommendation to the San Juan County Council during the first two weeks of October.
The final date for receipt of public comments by NOAA is October 27.
More information is available at https://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Killer-Whales/ESA-Status/Orca-Vessel-Regs.cfm.
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