WA Orca task force recommends 3-5-year commercial whale watching ban

[Rain City]

It sounds like the DFO is now changing their tactic. They are looking to label their closure as more of an an abundance of Chinook issue as opposed to the noice disturbance of 2018.
Again, it’s absolutely preposterous that they are pointing the finger at the rec sector as the problem there because we put in the most time, money and effort into protecting the stocks.
They need to put their efforts towards habitat restoration, hatchery programs and culling the problem pinnipeds. Match that with a 400m bubble zone for all boat traffic and they should finally be on the right track. I try to tell them this in letters and emails, but I just get the generic response.

My on topic comment is they shouldn’t fully ban whale watching for he next 3-5 years but they should seriously enforce penalties on those boats that are not obiding by the rules. And they should put those fines directly back into salmon enhancement, and helping @Rain City buy his new boat!

I'm for it.

 

[OldBlackDog]

https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/wwf-s-green-headquarters

http://www.wwf.ca/about_us/experts/

But if you read their social media posts, they are taking full credit for the program as a strategy to make themselves appear to be the great conservationists, pushing the rec community aside. Last time I checked it was rec anglers who are doing all the work, fundraising etc. When the WW buy their way into claiming the project as their idea, and we are just "administrators" that is extremely disingenuous.

When I saw their posts, I went onto their websites to see what else they were saying about us. They are saying that physical and acoustic disturbances are an issue to find ways to push aside not embrace. They write things like "shift the conversation back where it belongs - improving salmon stocks and habitat." Sounds good on the surface, but if you read further they want to promote ignoring one of the most significant scientifically agreed upon threat pillars - physical and acoustic disturbance.

I started looking more closely at many of the people who are involved with the Green ENGO groups - the one's suing the government to stop rec fishing - funny how many are employees or former employees of WW companies. Hmmm. The more I dig, the more connections I'm seeing between those who would seek to do the rec community harm. I'm suggesting you take a look and dig yourself.

I sure would like to be wrong on all this, but where there is smoke there is often fire. Time will tell.

We are advancing the 400m bubble zone as a strategy that helps address physical and acoustic disturbance. The bubble would apply to all vessels under 60 gross tonnes, would require them to leave slowly under 7 knots when whales are inside that range, and require (if safe) the operator turn off sounders.

I would call my concerns "unjustified" if there was proof like the WW coming on side with this strategy - it would allow us to work as a united front to speak with DFO to implement the bubble in place of Area Closures. The only exception to that being, in areas where we have strong science indicating a specific location is highly utilized for foraging etc., that we implement Special Management Zones (refuge areas) where no vessels are allowed - especially when whales are present.

So time will tell if the WW do indeed come on side to truly support the rec community - proof will be in their actions not words or money being used to distract us.

 

[searun]

Wow, those are pretty swank digs. I see where the donations are going. Green ENGO is big business these days.

 

[profisher]

Calmseas yes the whale watchers have covered the bigger share of the annual budget of the Sooke net pen project. Without those funds the project would be in jeopardy. As a board we decided to try and raise funds from sources not already contributing to other local important salmon enhancement efforts. For a simple reason. Transferring funds away from an existing group doing good work to support our project is not ideal. We would rather find new money from new sources and not negatively impact these other folks. That doesn't mean we were only looking at the whale watchers for a source for this new funding but they were one industry that seemed to want to help raise more Chinook.
Just to be clear we are not fully funded and we continue to try and find the monies we need to run this project each year. It is projected that we will require about $100,000.00 in 2019. We hope to increase the numbers we release again in 2019 and we are also looking at having to cover the costs of clipping 100% of the fish we release.

 

[agentaqua]

Wow, those are pretty swank digs. I see where the donations are going. Green ENGO is big business these days.

As I rather frequently state that NGOs are a spectrum of what I consider on one side to be antagonistic/narcissistic/untrustable to generally helpful although sometimes either naive or inexperienced - with Sea Shepherd/IFAW/GreenPeace being on one side and the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the T. Buck Suzuki being on the other side...

The "Panda" struts it's stuff for the corporate donors - even fish farm companies and have worked with them on a certification scheme. They put a grandfatherly face on Corporations. That comes with percs - like $$$

 

[searun]

Too bad the internet caffe crowd doesn’t take a moment to google search the organizations they fund out of guilt. It was eye opening to see the balance sheet of a few and where the money actually goes. And the lack of transparency about the program spending.

 

[GLG]

Too bad the internet caffe crowd doesn’t take a moment to google search the organizations they fund out of guilt. It was eye opening to see the balance sheet of a few and where the money actually goes. And the lack of transparency about the program spending.

Next time your in town I'll show you what real money is involved in the anti-science, never an honest days work, money can buy. You might just question your own ideas.

 

[searun]

Always happy to learn more. Been an interesting mini education so far. I had never before started to look behind the scenes to read the financial statements to see what stories they could tell....for those organizations who actually post them. Creative accounting exercise is rather interesting. One so called save the orca foundation from the EU spent all their cash coming here travelling around - nice paid vacation from what I could tell.

 

[Cuba Libre]

https://thetyee.ca/News/2018/11/13/...ce=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=131118

 

[ziggy]

This statement below from Misty seems a little misleading at best. Given the vast majority of traffic is not tanker traffic, a 10% increase seems unlikely? I wish reporters would ask the person interviewed to explain how the math on this one works!

MacDuffee estimated the southern resident killer whales are dealing with boat traffic 85 per cent of the time. Even with area closures and new rules, that will increase to 95 per cent of the time if tanker traffic increases, she said”

 

[Derby]

not surprised with some of the stuff that comes out of her mouth...

 

[SpringVelocity]

 

[OldBlackDog]

Let’s be clear, she is in the press talking to hundreds of people who have no ideal she might be misleading.

There is no one in the press saying she might be wrong and they are right.

Run her down all you want but there still is no one talking to the public defending sportsfishing.

This statement below from Misty seems a little misleading at best. Given the vast majority of traffic is not tanker traffic, a 10% increase seems unlikely? I wish reporters would ask the person interviewed to explain how the math on this one works!

MacDuffee estimated the southern resident killer whales are dealing with boat traffic 85 per cent of the time. Even with area closures and new rules, that will increase to 95 per cent of the time if tanker traffic increases, she said”

 

[SpringVelocity]

Let’s be clear, she is in the press talking to hundreds of people who have no ideal she might be misleading.

There is no one in the press saying she might be wrong and they are right.

Run her down all you want but there still is no one talking to the public defending sportsfishing.

Hey Derby no ones talking about sport fishing in public who knew?

 

[OldBlackDog]

https://vancouversun.com/pmn/news-p...-b-c/wcm/befc566b-401f-44fc-b16b-81ac87ce361b

 

[SpringVelocity]

https://vancouversun.com/pmn/news-p...-b-c/wcm/befc566b-401f-44fc-b16b-81ac87ce361b

"You can watch things happen. You can make things happen. Or you can wonder what the f**k just happened.

Late Captain Phil Harris, F/V Cornelia Marie

 

[searun]

"You can watch things happen. You can make things happen. Or you can wonder what the f**k just happened.

Late Captain Phil Harris, F/V Cornelia Marie

Or put another way, "Lead, Follow, or get the **** out of the way!" The biggest problem with the rec community is far too many people sit back and shoot those who actually try to make a difference in the back...they never lift a finger to get involved or put their money where their mouth is...