Groups Say ‘No’ To SJI Orca-only Summer Zone

It was a strange crew, but kayakers, whale watchers, sport anglers and commercial fishermen all came together last night in Seattle to speak out against a proposal to make part of the San Juan Islands a no-go zone to protect killer whales.

“You wouldn’t believe it. Everybody said, ‘What are you guys, crazy?'” says Tim Bush of Outdoor Emporium (206-624-6550) who attended a two-hour meeting put on by the National Marine Fisheries Service at the Seattle Aquarium. “Everybody was against it.”

The Feds want to make a 1/2-mile strip along the west side of San Juan Island a no-go zone from May 1 through September, as well as bar most vessels from approaching within more than 200 yards or block the paths of the ESA-listed marine mammals in Puget Sound.

NMFS argues that orcas are affected by boat noises, though sport fishermen dispute that — and then there’s that famous YouTube video that shows killer whales eating a big Chinook right off the end of a fisherman”s line.

Anglers also fear the proposed closure is only the beginning, and that more quality fishing areas in the Juans and Puget Sound will be shut down.

Bush reports a full house last night. Among those in attendance were Bear Holmes of CCA-Pacific Northwest, Nelson Goodsell and Ron Garner of Puget Sound Anglers, Larry Carpenter of Master Marine in Mount Vernon, Gabe Miller from OE and Sportco in Fife, and Rob Endsley and Tom Nelson from Outdoor Line, according to Bush.

In a post entitled “NOAA vessel rules rejected at Aquarium,” Orcasphere blogger Steve Viers reports at least 50 individual comments.

The 1/2-mile closure zone would affect waters from Mitchell Bay southeast to Eagle Point, a beloved fishing area for Puget Sound anglers.

“It’s disheartening to see a large piece of water that’s extremely productive during certain parts of the summer be closed,” Jay Field of Dash One Charters in Anacortes told Joel Shangle, West Coast saltwater columnist for ESPN Outdoors. “I get calls from people who specifically want to fish the west side of San Juan Island, because you can get a 40-pounder there. It’s one of our best Chinook spots, and to lose that part of our fishery is disappointing, and a little alarming. If NOAA shuts this area down, are the rest of the San Juans next? The killer whales travel down Rosario Strait and they go down Bellingham Channel, too. Are those the next to be shut down?”

THE PROPOSED NO-GO ZONE. (NMFS)

Adds Tony Floor, fishing affairs director for the Northwest Marine Trade Association, in his monthly newsletter today: “From my viewpoint, closing an area along the shoreline of San Juan Island is not a reasonable solution. A reasonable solution is to participate and encourage the improvement of water quality in Puget Sound. A healthy Puget Sound is good for Orca, salmon, and the people who live in the great Pacific Northwest.”

Commercial anglers, kayakers and whale watching guides are also questioning the proposals.

Officially, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife “is still developing our response,” according to spokesman Darren Friedel in Olympia. “We will be submitting our comments.”

There will also be another public meeting Oct. 5 at the Grange Hall on First Street in Friday Harbor.

Comments on the proposal may also be submitted via email through Oct. 27.

POSTSCRIPT: Plus1 on BloodyDecks rounded up a summary of news articles, and blog posts on this issue, which includes a link to some interesting boiled down comments made by Mark Anderson of Orca Relief as reported by the Islands’ Sounder’s Mark Rasmussen:

Mark Anderson, founder of Orca Relief, said he would “pass” on excluding kayaks and sport fisherman from the no-go zone, noting the little disruption either have on the ability of a killer whale to use its sonar and locate its prey. Instead, according to Anderson, federal officials should be targeting the “flotilla of boats” that follow the orcas all day long, seven days a week, and which, he insists, pose the greatest risk to the survival of the Southern residents in the short-term.

A video news piece done by KCPQ-13 speaks with Anderson,whale-watch charter skipper Shane Aggergaard, and Lynne Barre of NMFS who wrote the protection proposal.