How Effective are SKRW Sanctuaries...Really?

[searun]

Here's some rather interesting data on how well the SRKW Sanctuaries appear to be affording protection to the whales. Perhaps a re-think of the comparative effectiveness of a mobile protection approach vs a fixed sanctuary approach that the whales don't really receive benefit from?

 

[wildmanyeah]

It's the problem of using sparse past data and think that the same is going to happen in the future.

These closures were just used to show the media hey look we did something. I dont think they had much support form DFO pacific. This move was largely political in nature.

 

[Oceanmaster]

This move was largely political in nature.

Ya think?

 

[High Time]

Thank you so much Searun for posting the above information. I was planning on trying to get that info from DFO this Winter in anticipation of another battle this Spring if they persist in trying to implement the "Interim Sanctuary Zones " again. Being a resident on Pender Bluffs for the last 7 years it confirms the pattern of reduced use by orcas for that period of time that I have observed. Culminated this year by their complete absence in June and half of July and only a couple of possible transits through the area during the last half of July. The orcas that I observed in August were transiting up the middle of the channel well outside the western boundary of the "Orca Santuary Area". By the way, during that Summer period there were literally thousands of vessels transiting the "No Go Zone" with virtually no enforcement by DFO or the RCMP. Basically the whole experiment was a complete farce and a waste of time and succeeded in turning a few local residents into sacrificial lambs and destroying a historical fishery. I hope this information will be used effectively by the SFAB and SFI to get DFO to remove these "sanctuaries" and listen to the advice that they were given to simply implement an avoidance program throughout the area when orcas are actually there. I guess that would be just too much common sense and not enough political "brownie points"

 

[wolf]

Ill chime in here as I really paid more attention this year re sighting of whales etc learning which whales etc .Did notice this zodiac everyday with a poop scoop on front of it almost everyday (whos paying for that) I can tell you from being on the water almost everyday off sooke from mid jun to mid sept I saw the residents for a total of 3 times thats IT .
Here is the best part its late august im running back from otter on a direct line to sooke harbour mouth I look off to my starboard side this above mentioned zodiac is coming right at me from about a 3/4 mile out in the strait at mach 1.....white flag a blazing arms waving etc etc so I stop ..... And yes im thinking WTF???
the 3 young women proceed to tell me the resident whales are coming towards you. So i ask where are they?she proceeds to tell me they are about a mile out heading to sheringham . uuummmm ok whats that got to do with me im in 120 ft of water heading to port. Well she say we have to reduce our engine noise for the whales!!!!!!! HHHMMM I think about how im gonna say this nicely .....

So you were out in the line of the whales and you came at me full bore just to tell me this. maybe you should head your own warnings, the whales are over a mile away im not even coming close to them ......ill be at dock before they pass here?????? they didnt say a word and left back towards the whales, So the next time your at a SFAB meeting searun explain to them that a sport fishing vessel makes way less noise then a freighter or the HUGE whale company vessels.

Common sense is very common anymore

 

[cracked_ribs]

I have absolutely no idea how effective they are but I can tell you for certain that if you had a camera pointed at the neutral zone faceoff spot on one side of a rink and you watched an entire season of hockey through it, you wouldn't have a clue what was going on.

My feeling is that there is a lesson in there somewhere.

 

[ziggy]

Ill chime in here as I really paid more attention this year re sighting of whales etc learning which whales etc .Did notice this zodiac everyday with a poop scoop on front of it almost everyday (whos paying for that) I can tell you from being on the water almost everyday off sooke from mid jun to mid sept I saw the residents for a total of 3 times thats IT .
Here is the best part its late august im running back from otter on a direct line to sooke harbour mouth I look off to my starboard side this above mentioned zodiac is coming right at me from about a 3/4 mile out in the strait at mach 1.....white flag a blazing arms waving etc etc so I stop ..... And yes im thinking WTF???
the 3 young women proceed to tell me the resident whales are coming towards you. So i ask where are they?she proceeds to tell me they are about a mile out heading to sheringham . uuummmm ok whats that got to do with me im in 120 ft of water heading to port. Well she say we have to reduce our engine noise for the whales!!!!!!! HHHMMM I think about how im gonna say this nicely .....

So you were out in the line of the whales and you came at me full bore just to tell me this. maybe you should head your own warnings, the whales are over a mile away im not even coming close to them ......ill be at dock before they pass here?????? they didnt say a word and left back towards the whales, So the next time your at a SFAB meeting searun explain to them that a sport fishing vessel makes way less noise then a freighter or the HUGE whale company vessels.

Common sense is very common anymore

I’m thinking DFO has no answer regarding the impact of small recreational vessels. I have written and asked to no avail. If they did , it would be interesting to see what noise was generated in what frequency bands, the amplitude of the noise and the impact of the depth of the noise generator and water conditions. Unlike large vessels the recreational vessel does not generate much if any noise through its auxiliary system ( pumps, gear boxes, electrical generation etc.), so its noise is primary through its engine and propeller and primarily surface noise. I’d like to see DFO post data on the noise generated by our vessels, they seem reluctant for obvious reasons.

 

[steeler]

The purpose of these closures is to give the appearance of helping orcas in the face of building an export terminal for more oil to be shipped through the same general areas. The chinook closures are the same thing its just lip service with no real substance a way to make it seem as though dfo has a handle on what is happening in the ocean and actually in charge of protecting the ocean rather then designed to allow its complete exploitation. If dfo had intentions of protecting orcas and chinook they would have to actually act on things that are preventing their numbers from increasing like habitat restoration, closing wild retention coast wide, stopping herring fishing, no longer allowing in river net fisheries, going after mining pollution and over development and over logging and the list goes on, but they feel that the most immediate tasks are to limit traffic on a few areas during a few times. The time for politics to be taken out of management is obvious they need to make things right instead of worrying about getting elected again in 4 years and approving ******** for the benefit of their leaders instead of the ocean

 

[islandboy]

Electric ferries (worst offenders) on their way. Can you feel the tax money being ripped from your wallet?

 

[chevy guy]

Oh and I guess our engine noise messes up their sonar way more than the Navy's ongoing under water sonar signals. The whole thing is a story of Liberal ********.

 

[wildmanyeah]

They left an area that was full of fish and they were feeding. wonder what's going on their?? Plenty of fish yet they still leave?



"Trites said that for the last three years the southern residents have not come back to the Salish Sea as often as they used to in spite of there appearing to be plenty of fish this year."

"On their trip, Trites and his team observed southern residents in the Salish Sea where they were catching fish, breaching and indulging in social behaviour that suggested that they were feeling pretty good, he said.

“But then they left. They didn’t stay. That was surprising,” he said."

Incredible drone footage offers new perspective on B.C. whales (VIDEO)

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/2019/11/05/drones-whales-research-ubc-bc-video/

 

[mbowers]

They left an area that was full of fish and they were feeding. wonder what's going on their?? Plenty of fish yet they still leave?



"Trites said that for the last three years the southern residents have not come back to the Salish Sea as often as they used to in spite of there appearing to be plenty of fish this year."

Well The Prince of Cetacean Molestation launched this small ferry sized vessel at the same time. Coincidence?

https://douglasmagazine.com/prince-of-whales-to-launch-new-adventure-vessel/

 

[ziggy]

They left an area that was full of fish and they were feeding. wonder what's going on their?? Plenty of fish yet they still leave?



"Trites said that for the last three years the southern residents have not come back to the Salish Sea as often as they used to in spite of there appearing to be plenty of fish this year."

"On their trip, Trites and his team observed southern residents in the Salish Sea where they were catching fish, breaching and indulging in social behaviour that suggested that they were feeling pretty good, he said.

“But then they left. They didn’t stay. That was surprising,” he said."

Incredible drone footage offers new perspective on B.C. whales (VIDEO)

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/2019/11/05/drones-whales-research-ubc-bc-video/

Kind of blows up the whole theory behind establishing Whale Sanctuaries. Makes it even more logical to only limit fishing in those areas if the whales are present. Of course that assumes that Whale Sanctuaries were established to protect the whales!

 

[mbowers]

Well The Prince of Cetacean Molestation launched this small ferry sized vessel at the same time. Coincidence?

https://douglasmagazine.com/prince-of-whales-to-launch-new-adventure-vessel/

View attachment 49297

Also the V2V ferry launched around the same time 3 years ago. So simultaneously there are 2 new huge catamarans running around at ludicrous speed trying to get as close to whales as they may and then the whales leave..

https://www.timescolonist.com/news/...tarts-service-may-1-fares-revealed-1.10005191

 

[High Time]

That's what makes the "Bubble Zone" Whale Avoidance system for sport fishers so effective and easy. You don't have to see the whales approaching, the armada of whale watching boats on top of the whales and the boats screaming by
coming and going, can be spotted a couple miles away, giving us plenty of time to shut everything down before the whales approach so we don't disturb them.....

 

[onefish]

All this whale crap is just a smokescreen to get more chinook into the native gill nets up and down the Fraser. By all accounts DFO succeeded in their mission to do this.
Natives, somewhat happy but looking for more, everybody else, not so much.

 

[wolf]

I had our local whale guy start complaining to me saying the closures in place are good for the whales as we take too much fish??? I said REALLY??? how many times have the residents been here so far??? umm 2 times as they are spending time off Oregon coast... I then pointed out to him fishermen do NOT want to see whales we want to avoid them YOU on the other hand activity seek out the whales and your saying im the problem???? then walked away and said figure that one out!!!!!

 

[Aces]

All this whale crap is just a smokescreen to get more chinook into the native gill nets up and down the Fraser. By all accounts DFO succeeded in their mission to do this.
Natives, somewhat happy but looking for more, everybody else, not so much.

Well most of the natives are not fighting the new pipeline now so mission accomplished!

 

[SpringVelocity]

I had our local whale guy start complaining to me saying the closures in place are good for the whales as we take too much fish??? I said REALLY??? how many times have the residents been here so far??? umm 2 times as they are spending time off Oregon coast... I then pointed out to him fishermen do NOT want to see whales we want to avoid them YOU on the other hand activity seek out the whales and your saying im the problem???? then walked away and said figure that one out!!!!!

Paul actually said that Roy? Or someone else?

 

[searun]

Not making excuses for the WW'rs but I wouldn't read too much into one guys comments...our guys get misinformation too. I think the way Wolf handled it by sharing facts is the way to go. I believe there is more we don't know about whales and what is causing their issues than we actually know. Hoping people can lose the hysteria whipped up by the media last year, and objectively and carefully consider measures that achieve that fine balance between protection for whales that actually is effective and allowing responsible use.