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Young orca spotted in Washington waters as new vessel guidelines emerge

Boating season is kicking off with new vessel guidelines to protect resident and traveling orca whale populations

As more traveling orcas are spotted in the Salish Sea, the Pacific Whale Watch Association Updated its vessel guidelines.

A Recent video by Ocean EcoVentures shows a young calf, most likely less than one month old, breaching next to mom.

Watch: The newest member of a killer whale pod makes its debut

(Video: Ocean EcoVentures and videographer Tasli Shaw)

Spring is making its way to the pacific northwest and with it comes boating season. May 5 marks the opening day for boating season. The Pacific Whale Watch Association is asking boaters to familiarize themselves with the guidelines to protect the resident and traveling whale populations.

The updated guidelines include:

  • A slow zone of seven (7) knots within one (1) kilometer of whales.
  • Maintaining a distance of 200 yards (US)/200 meters (Canada) from Southern Resident killer whales.
  • A suggested limited viewing time of 60 minutes in the vicinity of a group of whales and a 30 minute time limit if there are 10 or more vessels within one (1) kilometer of whales.
  • Travel should always be parallel to the direction of travel of the whales and at the whale’s speed or slower.
  • All sonar, depth sounders, fish finders and other underwater transducers should be shut off whenever a vessel is in the vicinity of whales.
  • Mandated special, precautionary operation guidelines in the vicinity of Marine Protected Areas at Race Rocks and the West Side of San Juan Island.

“These updates represent the most stringent and precautionary guidelines our organization has ever passed as we continue to develop the most progressive guidelines to protect the whale populations that live and visit our region,” said Jeff Friedman, U.S. president, Pacific Whale Watch Association in a press release.

A group of 32 whale watch and ecotourism business operators in Washington and British Columbia worked together to create the updated guidelines. The group claims the new guidelines go beyond government and provincial regulations and provide the most comprehensive framework for whale protection.

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