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Whale Watch Association donates $10K to Soundwatchposted 06/12/03
The Whale Watch Operators Association Northwest is composed of 30 U.S. and Canadian commercial whale-watch companies. Each year since it's inception in 1994, the association has adopted a set of international guidelines that are more explicit than U.S. or Canadian federal guidelines. Their guidelines are the result of suggestions from Soundwatch, commercial drivers, residents and regional scientists. The WWOANW then holds annual meetings with drivers to interpret the changes. Soundwatch, in partnership with the Canadian Marine Mammal Monitoring Program (M3), keeps records on marine wildlife, private and commercial vessel activities, and compliance with the guidelines of the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as well as the WWOANW guidelines. U.S. and Canadian federal agencies have worked with Soundwatch, M3 and the WWOANW to establish northwest regional marine mammal viewing guidelines (called Be Whale Wise), but at this time there are no laws specifically regulating whale watching. As a tool to improve commercial driving practices, Soundwatch and M3 send monthly, confidential feedback reports to commercial whale-watch companies so they can see how well they are observing the voluntary guidelines. Over the past 11 years, Soundwatch has worked closely with the association to incorporate stewardship into their marine wildlife education programs and practices. "We have come a long way since the early days of whale watching in the region," said Soundwatch Coordinator Kari Koski. "Things are really quite a bit better out on the water. It is not perfect, certainly, but we have been told time and time again by shoreline residents and whale watch operators alike that private and commercial boaters behave better when Soundwatch is out. People want us out there but finding sustainable funding has been challenging, and The Whale Museum can no longer afford to subsidize the costs. So the association's contribution is really timely and very much appreciated. But we believe local, state and federal governments need to help out as well." When running full time, Soundwatch costs about $160,000 annually to operate. However, due to financial constraints in recent years, the program has been limited to part-time operation. The association's donation will enable the program to be on the water this summer more than originally thought, although funding still does not allow for full-time on-the-water coverage. PREVIOUS STORIES ABOUT SOUNDWATCHSoundwatch to monitor young orphaned orcacontributed photo posted 04/10/02
A research team working for NMFS has been monitoring A-73 for several weeks. Although they say they have some concerns about her health, she is active and feeding herself. Brent Norberg of NMFS said, "Soundwatch has conducted education programs to instruct boaters about appropriate whale watch etiquette and safe operation of watercraft around marine wildlife for many years . . . making them the most qualified, if not the only, domestic organization suitable for this contract." "With so much media attention, we hope people won't get in their boats to go see the whale," said Koski. "She seems to be doing well but we don't know enough about her situation and she could become stressed by the presence of boats. She has been seen consistently from the Fauntleroy-Vashon ferry and from shore, so there really is no need to get in a private boat to see her." The female orca, know as A-73 or Springer, was discovered alone in mid January. According to whale researchers, she is almost two years old and is a member of the Northern Resident Community of orcas, which spends its summers in the Johnstone Strait area of British Columbia. Not only is it extremely unusual for a Northern Resident to be so far south in the inland waters, researchers say it is also odd that a member of such a highly social species is alone, especially one so young. (Coincidentally, L-98, a juvenile Southern Resident orca, has been living alone in British Columbia for several months.) The Northern Resident Community is expected to return to Johnstone Strait in late June or early July. Soundwatch will be back in the San Juans monitoring whale-watch activities in May, said Koski. More information is available on the at The Whale Museum's Web site. Soundwatch Boat needs new motorposted 08/09/01
Soundwatch educates whale watchers on how to behave around whales. The presence of the boat deters boaters from going to close to the whales according to The Whale Musuem staff. Last year more than half a million people went whale watching on commercial vessels in the San Juan Islands. Another estimated 3,000-8,000 engaged in whale watching from pleasure boats and 10,000 from kayaks. The statistics are from The Whale Museum's Web site. Besides educating boaters, Soundwatch also patrols the boundaries of marine protected areas, such as National Wildlife Refuges, conducts bird surveys, and operates the San Juan County Bottomfish Recovery Program. The Soundwatch boat also responds to stranded marine mammals. Contributions can be made online to Soundwatch. Soundwatch boat needs help
posted 07/01 The Soundwatch program teaches boaters on the water the least intrusive way to watch whales, and relies solely upon donations for its operation. The Soundwatch boat has been out of service twice already this summer because of mechanical problems, and Soundwatch personnel say the need for a second boat is a critical. For more information, call Soundwatch Coordinator Kari Koski at 378-4710, ext. 33. Or learn more about Soundwatch by visiting The Whale Museum Web site. |
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