Puget Sound Express would like to request that you join our family in OPPOSING the petition sent to NOAA by the wealthy residents on the West side of San Juan Island to block boats under the guise of a ‘whale protection zone.’ It is our belief that this effort is solely committed to damaging the whale watching community for the purpose of protecting their waterfront views.
Please, if you have not done so, submit a comment to NOAA. https://www.regulations.gov/
The Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) are under pressure due to decreased salmon runs, not boating. We believe that NOAA needs to fund salmon recovery, not police a small part of an island’s shoreline, which would also impact kayakers, recreational boaters, and fishing.
For the last 19 years, since 1998, we have had whale watching best practices – long before NOAA regulations came to be. We still exceed the regulation on slow approaches and departures to minimize the chance that a whale might care about a boat.
Puget Sound Express joins the following organizations who are also opposed to the petition:
Center for Whale Research
Orca Network
Orca Behaviour Institute
Voice of the Orcas
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
San Juan Visitors Bureau
San Juan Chamber of Commerce
Port of Anacortes
Passenger Vessel Association
Puget Sound Anglers
San Juan Island Kayak Association
Coastal Conservation Association
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Thank you kindly for your consideration. Our family cares deeply about the resident orca families, and we know you do as well. Please take of moment of you time and say very clearly that you OPPOSE the petition in the headlines of your response to NOAA.