The latest on the proposed orca regulations

[Salmonhawk]

Word has come to me from NOAA that the proposed orca regulations have been sent to the federal register and will be published in the next week or so (probably depends on the looming government shutdown). Included in the new proposed regulations will be a 200 yard approach restriction, and no parking in front of the path of a whale. Not in there at this point is the "no-go" zone. They want to study that a little further so to me, it sounds like the battle is still going to go on.

[Nelly]

Here's the official press release from NOAA this afternoon:

"Today we announced new regulations to protect killer whales in inland waters of Washington State from the effects of various vessel activities. The new regulations have two parts:

1. vessels must not approach any killer whale within 200 yards

2. vessels must stay out of the path of oncoming whales out to 400 yards.

The new regulations go into effect 30 days after the Federal Register notice publishes. We're working with our partners to educate boaters about the new regulations on and off the water.

See our Website at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/ ... l-Regs.cfm for more information on the vessel regulations."

I can live with a 100 yard exclusion zone but enforcing a 400 yard "path" rule? Gimme a break! What happens if you have gear in the water and they swim to within 200 yards of you before they surface? That's a fairly common scenerio! Keep your binocs handy boys!

Oh well, at least they didn't close the west side of San Juan Island... Talk about a nightmare....

[Fishnut]

Thank God we stopped that NOAA closure on the west side of San Juans. I don't think they had an idea of the wall they would run up against. Mark that works out of the whale Museum in Friday Harbor was the one that made up his science to get rid of us. At the Seattle Aquarium meeting he sought me out. He saw my PSA logo on my shirt and tried to make a deal with me after I explained his science was extremely flawed. I told him that those orcas have never known a world without boats as they are only around 33 years old. Also that whales use our boats to chase salmon against to hunt with and check us out just as much as we check them out. I was up in that "zone" one time and the orcas went on a feeding frenzy after salmon right by my boat. I could not tell you if there were 10 or 100 orcas as they were going so fast and furious they could not be counted. They seemed to be hunting and feeding just fine and could not care if my boat was there or not. I told him that to think that orcas would starve because of fishing boats in the area, was preposterous. When they can pack up and make a wave big enough to wash a sealion off of an iceberg, I think they are smart enough to move and find food rather than stay in one spot and die.

Mark admitted that he didn't realize all of this. Can you believe this? He has a momentum push using his science to rid of us the west side of San Juan Island and didn't know this? So after a 20 minute conversation he was ready to let recreational fishermen be removed form the ban if we would back them to chase off the commercial whale watchers. I told him I didn't trust him and would make no deals witth him. I walked off and left him standing there.

Other things to ponder on orcas is that they have shown a decline in the past. But no one ever accounted that back then our orcas were being caught and sold to aquariums. This took the brood stock away and would impact our orca reproductions. Also the survey of what our J, K, and L pods ate was done during the months of April-September. Guess what is out there to eat during those months? You guessed it....Salmon.

Anyone can make up science and if they get it to the right people and use scare tactics-they can get grant money out of it. 2012 we better figure out what we are going to do as NOAA is going to want us to figure out how to feed our Orcas and it is going to play into our salmon plans. If we cannot get Alaska and BC to let more fish through, Washington will get to pay for all of it. I say federal funding of hatcheries with more fish and better seasons to keep them off of the spawning grounds.

[Nelly]

NOAA is in "Vendetta mode" on this issue.

While at the NOF meeting in California, a sportfishing rep was congratulating a member of WDFW's Sportfishing Advisory Board on keeping the west side of San Juan open. A NOAA Biologist turned to them and said "Just wait until you see what we have in store for you next year"....

Great, just frickin' great... Thinly veiled threats from a government official who is obviously taking this very personally.

Again I ask: In a orca population that has been increasing in the past ten years.. WHERE IS THE PROOF THAT EXCLUDING VESSELS BENEFITS ORCAS???

Answer: There is no proof...We've asked NOAA time after time and they still cannot provide a shred of evidence. Junk science, assumptions and an agenda that does not include sportfishing.

[Robbo]

I made up a form letter for everyone to send to NOAA. Let me know what you think guys...

Dear NOAA,

Kiss my ass!

Love,
(Insert Name Here)

[Eddy C]

I made up a form letter for everyone to send to NOAA. Let me know what you think guys...

Dear NOAA,

Kiss my ass!

Love,
(Insert Name Here)

Very diplomatic it should work.

[Salmonhawk]

Some of these government agencies and employees forget who they work for. Instead of realizing that they work for the taxpayer and actually represent the taxpaying recreational fisherman, they bring their radical, environmental agenda with them to work. This radical, agenda driven environmentalism is a religion to these people. They feel that man is always the problem and forget that we are actually part of the environment. While I would agree that we have done harm to the environment in the past, we are learning and have begun to make changes but we need to be sensible. If we are indeed part of the environment then we need to be accounted for within the environment.

The facts are that the orca population is increasing. If you want to do even more for the orca then do something to clean up the sound. Manage overpopulated marine mammals that are eating the orcas food. Manage the bird predation problem. Get rid of the derelict commercial gear that continues to harvest food that the orcas would eat. Build artificial reefs to recovery some structure and habitat that has been lost due to commercial bottom draggers and runoff throughout the years. There seems to be so many things that we could do that would make so much more sense and would improve things quickly but these people only want to blame us.

These people are radicals and will never go away. While you and I are out trying to fish and have fun while enjoying nature, they are constantly scheming up ways to get us off the water.