Skip to content
All news
  • All news
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Corporates
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent bycatch
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Science
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
  • Stranding
WDC2023-007 NMLC Release (16)

Seal Rescued in Marshfield Released Back Into The Wild

For Immediate Release, May 31, 2023 PLYMOUTH, MA - A young male grey seal that...

Norway ups whale kill numbers and removes whale welfare protections

The whaling season in Norway has begun on the back of disturbing announcements from the...
Image taken from an unmanned hexacopter at >100ft during a research collaboration between NOAA/SWFSC, SR3 and the Coastal Ocean Research Institute. Research authorized by NMFS permit #19091.

Southern Resident orca petition to list them under Oregon Endangered Species Act advanced

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to advance a petition seeking to protect...
Hysazu Photography

WDC and Conservation Partners Continue to Seek Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas

On Friday, April 21st, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will determine whether the petition...

Vessel Regulations not harming whale watching, but benefit to orcas is uncertain

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has released a new Technical Memorandum reviewing whether vessel regulations put into effect in 2011 reduced vessel noise and harassment of endangered Southern Resident orcas

This unique community of orcas resides off the west coast of the United States and Canada, and the top three threats to the population are recognized as prey depletion, toxic contamination, and vessel impacts.  The 2011 regulations, put in place following the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing of the Southern Residents in 2005, include a minimum approach distance and limits on vessel movements around orcas.

This review compares vessel behavior for the five-year periods before and after the regulations were put into place.  The reviewers found that targeted education and outreach about the new regulations improved awareness and compliance; that the presence of enforcement vessels was key to ensuring compliance; and that the average distance between vessels and the whales had increased following the regulations, possibly reducing impacts on the whales.  In an economic analysis, NOAA found that there were no considerable effects on boat-based whale watching in the region, and that the industry had actually grown since the regulations were enacted.

While these findings are encouraging, WDC believes the regulations do not yet provide enough protection for these vulnerable whales.   The memorandum concluded that despite some indication that the regulations had improved conditions for the whales, vessel impacts continued and some risks possibly increased.  Sound levels in particular, which can mask the orcas’ echolocation and communication, were highly variable and did not show a consistent decline.  Research on sound received by the Southern Residents has indicated that many variables can change the amount of noise emitted from vessels, and vessel speed has the biggest impact on noise levels.

This report shows that responsible whale watching can exist and even thrive while following protocols to protect whales,” said Colleen Weiler, the Rekos Fellow for Orca Conservation at WDC.  “However – are they enough?  There are no clear benefits to the Southern Resident orcas, who desperately need swift and smart action to save them from extinction.”  Weiler hopes that NOAA utilizes the report findings to refine vessel regulations to help the Southern Resident orcas.  “This is how adaptive management should work – we err on the side of the whales, and learn, change, and update as needed.  The current regulations are a starting point, and we can improve from here.”