WDCS has learned that important proposed regulations that would protect the endangered Southern Resident orca population are stalled within the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under the regulations that were proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and supported by WDCS in its comments to the federal government when they were open for public review in January of 2010, and reiterated in our comments during the 5-year listing review in July 2010, a critical no-go zone and protected area would be implemented in around the west side of the San Juan Islands, Washington.
WDCS requested that NMFS gives serious consideration to excluding ALL (or at minimum, most) categories of vessel from such a protected area during the core season. At that time, we also noted with some disappointment that any extended deadlines to this process would mean that vessel regulations would not be implemented before spring 2011 at the earliest, meaning the orcas would remain vulnerable to negative vessel impacts. The process has indeed stalled, as indicated in this breaking news story, and we are discouraged to learn that these important regulations are being held up within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
WDCS strongly supports promulgation of the proposed package of regulations that would prohibit vessels from approaching any orca closer than 200 yards, formalize a no-go zone along the west side of San Juan Island, and require vessels to keep clear of the whales’ path. This combination of measures would afford the orcas a high degree of protection from vessel strikes, behavioral disturbance and acoustic masking.
WDCS supports NMFS proposed regulations to institute a no-go zone within the critical habitat areas of the Southern Resident orca community and calls on OMB to move the regulations forward.