Restore Salmon, Restrict Boats and Save Southern Resident Killer Whales!

Petition and Comments on the proposed Protective Regulations for Killer Whales in the Northwest Region

To promote the economy and health of the Salish Sea, we demand that the federal government ensure the long term survival of endangered salmon fisheries in the Pacific Northwest, by immediately funding and implementing all projects necessary to restore the salmon runs, including removal of toxins from the U.S. inland waters around Washington State.

Further, since the Southern Resident Killer Whales are hovering on the brink of extinction due in large part to the scarcity of Chinook salmon, we demand that the federal government ensure the long term survival of the orcas, by implementing NOAA's proposed Protective Regulations for Killer Whales in the Northwest Region as soon as possible, after modifying the regulations to allow for kayak launching in the proposed no-go zone off the west side of San Juan Island, with reasonable time, place and manner restrictions. These protective regulations should remain in place only so long as needed, as determined by salmon and orca recovery.

Our demands are based on the following considerations.

• The federal government has designated the Southern Resident Killer Whales and many of the Pacific Northwest salmon runs as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. The Act requires the federal government to make every effort to ensure the long term survival of species designated as endangered.
• The Southern Residents face the triple threat of dwindling Chinook salmon runs, persistent toxins that accumulate in their blubber, and impacts from commercial and recreational vessels.
• In years of salmon scarcity, when these orcas must subsist off their toxic blubber, their death rate increases. The Southern Residents population has declined dramatically in the last 14 years, from a population of 99 whales in 1995 to 85 whales today. It is unclear whether there are sufficient numbers of breeding orcas to sustain the population.
• The purpose of NOAA's proposed regulations is to protect orcas in their critical habitat from interference and noise associated with boats. Key restrictions include prohibiting vessels from: (1) approaching orcas within 200 yards; (2) parking in the path of orcas, and (3) entering a one-half mile no-go zone off the west side of San Juan island from Eagle Point to Mitchell Point, during the months of May through September.
• Both salmon and orcas contribute significantly to the economy of the Pacific Northwest, particularly those communities bordering the inland waters of Washington state and southern British Columbia. Visitors from throughout the world come to this area to fish for salmon and view the whales, bringing much needed money on which the local economies depend.
• The Southern Resident Killer Whales rely for their existence on the Chinook salmon runs in the inland waters of Washington state and southern British Columbia. As salmon runs dwindle and collapse, the orca population and the fishing economy dwindle and collapse.
• The science is in and plans have been prepared to restore endangered salmon and orca populations, yet the federal government has failed to take the needed effort, much less every effort, to ensure the long term survival of either the endangered salmon runs or the Southern Resident Killer Whales.

Sincerely,