Killer whales being harmed by boat exhaust fumes
It took a study of 2.5 years to figure out that carbon monoxide emissions from boats off the coast of Vancouver might be harming the Orcas there. At the University of BC Cara Lachmuth tried a variety of scenarios that lead her to this conclusion. The article mentions that whale populations near Victoria and southern BC are followed by boats 12 hours daily, with recreational boats being less careful about following guidelines of whale watching than commercial boats. Noise disturbance had already been known as disruptor of the whales' mating and socializing processes. In addition, toxic chemicals from industry and food shortage (salmon) make their survival harder. Every dead whale washed ashore is found to be full of pesticides as well as heavy metals. From once 300 whales between Seattle and Vancouver only 87 are left today. Apart from the recommendation of limiting the number of boats visiting the whales or increasing the distance between boats and whales, the researchers in the article point out that the state of the whales should raise concern about the state of the overall ecosystem. With the predator on top of the food chain in utter distress everything below him is probably not faring well.
It's bad news really, although I'm a bit thinking, "Did the results of the study really come as a surprise?". No, they shouldn't, especially after all that was known about negative influences in the whales' environment already. I know whale watching is very popular but if no precautions are taken this "free-for-all" whale experience might come to an end soon. Once the whales are extinct none of the boat companies will have much reason to take sightseers out onto the water. If BC was to take any actions, hopefully more than just guidelines, they better make sure they have resources for enforcement, too. I don't know how difficult it is to stop recreational boats from getting to close to the whales and harassing them all day long but the presence of a police boat that educates and fines, if necessary, the boaters might help. It would still leave the whales exposed to plenty of carbon monoxide since Vancouver has a commercial port that sees quite a number of vessels move through the southern gulf. Corporation with the US would be helpful. If the BC government is as sluggish with the whales as Alberta with its grizzlies and caribous I don't think anything will happen to stop the Orcas from going extinct. Unfortunately it has not been said in the article if the provincial government has been approached with the study results and recommendations. I, and you, better keep an eye out for some letter action. I can imagine David Suzuki will be on that issue soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment