See an orca in Puget Sound — stay away
Today may mark the start of the southern-resident orca watching season, but Washington wildlife officials are asking everyone to stay away from the region's endangered whales.
"The southern residents do really poorly with a lot of boats around," said Julie Watson with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. "It affects their ability to find food, and so we're asking the public to voluntarily give them a little bit more space so that especially these vulnerable whales can bounce back."
In addition to asking recreational boaters to stay away, Fish and Wildlife officials want whale watching tour boats to stay half a nautical mile from 13 vulnerable orcas.
These orcas were just categorized as "vulnerable" by the Sealife Response Rehabilitation and Research Group. They have poor health. And one is pregnant.
There are 74 southern resident orcas left. Boats are not allowed to approach them outside of the summer months.
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Paige Browning
Newscaster
Paige hosts midday newscasts and monitors news of significance to the Puget Sound region. She hopped over Washington’s mountains to join KUOW, after hosting news and reporting at Spokane Public Radio since 2011. She began her start in radio while a journalism student at University of Montana, by sharing stories with KUFM. Paige was raised in the mountains and rivers around Spokane. In her spare time she cheers on the Mariners in the summer, and hopes for snow in the winter.
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