Watching Whale Watchers

Happy One Year Anniversary everyone!!

Yes, one year ago today, I thought it would be a good idea to share my experiences and knowledge of marine biology with the world. As far as blogs so, it's not going to win any awards, but I think it's come in handy from time to time.

So to celebrate the occasion, I figured I would talk about the biggest part of what I came out to Victoria to do: watch killer whales!

There are three major problems facing killer whales off the B.C. coast: lack of food, pollutants and toxins in the water and boat traffic and disruption. The DFO is doing it's best to balance salmon for people and for whales, and we can all do our part by being aware of the chemicals in our products (like PCPs, DBTs, etc.) and by limiting our waste (excess packaging is the enemy!). But one thing that is hard to deal with is boat traffic.

That's where the straitwatch program comes in.

Killer whales are amazing animals. They are huge, intelligent, majestic animals and seeing them really does make your heart sing. We don't want to take that away from people, so we aren't there to harass people on whale watching tours, because people who 'interact' with animals are more likely to want to help them (see my post on zoos and aquariums here).

But having a lot of boats around the whales is a problem, for three big reasons: motors are loud and disrupt their echolocation and communication, boat propellers do an excellent job of cutting up and potentially killing animals when they collide, and boats are obstacles for travelling and breathing. Imagine you are swimming in a pool, and you need to come up for air. If there are people, noodles, toys or boards all around, finding a place to come up for a breath is more difficult, and it puts physical stress on your body. That's what happens to whales when there are ten, twenty, forty boats around. And these guys aren't eating enough to have any more stress put on them.

So the Canadian government has put guidelines in place for safe whale watching. You can't go closer than 100m, you stay out of their path of movement, front and behind, and you have to slow down within 400m of the whales, to limit motor noise and to avoid accidentally hitting one. Failure to follow these guidelines can be considered marine mammal harassment and that is illegal.

Fairly simple, yes? We think so, but they only work if people know them.

So we go out every day in the summer and are on the water basically to educate. We take half-hourly vessel counts around a focal group of whales, as well as perform incidents scans, where we watch for anyone being non-compliant with the guidelines. In between all this data collection, we're talking to private boaters and making sure they know the rules. Ignorance is the environments biggest enemy.

Most of the people we talk to seem to be unaware of the guidelines, although we take every answer with a grain of salt. Some are really interested in the whales and we'll tell them some of the biology surrounding them (I think I'll do a Killer Whale Facts blog soon...) again, to get them interested in the animals and hopefully in their conservation. Some people aren't so friendly though, and really do see the whales as a pest rather than something to protect. We can't change everyone, but we can do our best.

Beyond killer whales, we see some other really cool animals. Harbour seals, harbour porpoises, and the coolest so far, a minke whale! The waters of British Colombia are full of amazing animals, and it's so important for us to try to make a difference.

One of my favourite stories is one of a young boy walking on a beach, filled with starfish that had been washed up on the shore. Hundreds and hundreds of starfish out dying in the hot sun. In the distance, the young boy sees an old man slowly bending down, picking up a single starfish and throwing it back into the sea. The boy watches the man do it again and again, slowly and surely. The young boy walks up to the old man and says "Sir, there are hundreds and hundreds of starfish on the beach. You are going so slowly, you will never be able to save them all." The old man smiled to the boy and said, "You are right, I can't save them all. But I have saved this one, and that will have to  be enough."

Maybe the positive impact straitwatch is making may seem like a small one, but any sized step towards environmental reconstruction is a step in the right direction, and one I am more than happy to make 4 days a week. Even in the rain. And wind. And waves.

Speak Loud!

PS. Have a piece of cake to celebrate this blogs anniversary! I promise I won't tell!