Boats told to stay at least 200 metres away from killer whales off B.C. coast
OTTAWA — Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc says there will be regulations in place before the spring to ensure no boat comes within 200 metres of southern resident killer whales in Canadian waters.
LeBlanc told reporters outside the House of Commons he heard loud and clear from scientists at a symposium on the whales in British Columbia earlier this month that more needs to be done — not just to protect them but also to help recovery efforts to boost the population.
There are only about 78 southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea, the series of waterways off the southern coast of B.C. and northern coast of Washington state that includes the straits of Georgia, Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound.
Scientific evidence shows noise from large ships and whale-watching tour boats is one of the biggest threats to the whales as it disturbs their ability to use sound to find food.