As attention turned to under the sea for annual Ocean Week celebrations, a Greater Victoria group of land-based whale lovers called for more eyes on the action at the surface. Gathered in Victoria’s Inner Harbour on June 6, a group of four held signs calling for whale watching vessels to slow down between sightings. “A lot of the whale watching companies in Victoria pride themselves for having a huge search area,” said protester Jessie Leo. “In order to achieve that range, they have to go
really fast.” At the heart of their protest was the story of four-year-old humpback whale Wisp, who was found dead in October last year, washed up on Keats Island in the Howe Sound. Days earlier, a humpback was accidentally struck by a Prince of Whales vessel after it surfaced unexpectedly in their path. At the time of the strike, the vessel was transiting in Howe Sound and was not viewing any whales. Based on the timing and location, Prince of Whales president and owner Elspeth
McGillivray said it is “likely” Wisp is the whale the vessel made contact with. “Although we’ll never know for certain,” she said in an emailed statement. “Regardless, we were devastated by Wisp’s passing.” While the cause of Wisp’s death remains under investigation by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the incident renewed debate over the speed of vessels in areas where whales frequent. Prince of Whales is a founding member of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, which promotes a seven-knot or less speed buffer around all whales
in British Columbia waters. McGillivray said the company voluntarily slows to seven knots or less within one kilometre of any known whales. “The law does not require this; we do it to protect whales,” she said. Two speed-restricted zones are also in place near Swiftsure Bank, off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, from June 1 to Nov. 30, with Transport Canada overseeing compliance. “The speed restriction for this area is 10 knots when it is safe to do so,” said a statement from Transport
Canada. The department also encourages all recreational and other non-commercial vessels to follow voluntary Be Whale Wise guidelines, including reducing speed to less than seven knots when within 1,000 metres of a whale. All whale watching vessels must also obey strict distance regulations. Boats must keep 100 metres away from whales, dolphins and porpoises; 200 metres if they are resting or with a calf. For endangered southern resident killer whales, the distance is 1,000 metres in coastal waters between Campbell River and Ucluelet. For all
other killer whales, it is 200 metres in B.C. and the Pacific Ocean. For the protesters, the rules don’t go far enough. They believe Wisp’s death could have been prevented if the speed of whale watching vessels between sightings is also regulated, pointing to studies that say strikes at speeds exceeding 12 knots are likely to cause mortality. “Obviously the whale watching industry is a huge thing, we can’t call on a complete stop right away, but we can start with little things,” said Leo.
“And that can be just slowing down the boats, even if that means they have longer tours and sell less tickets.” “If they really care about the conservation of the whales, they will slow down their boats.” McGillivray notes that ship strikes involving whale watch vessels are “exceedingly rare,” while incidents involving other types of vessels occur with much greater frequency. “For this reason, our vessels frequently warn ferries, cargo ships, and recreational vessels of nearby whales to reduce the chance of ship strike,” she
said. The June 6 protest was organized in response to Prince of Whales’ involvement in Ocean Week, protesters standing metres away from an event hosted by the whale watching company. “It’s a bit of a conflict of interest when Ocean Week is about promoting sustainability and protecting our oceans, and at the same time you’re being supported by companies that are directly and indirectly harming our oceans and killing whales,” said Leo. In response, planning committee member Heather Murray said Ocean Week Victoria is an
annual celebration of ocean learning, connection and engagement. “And as such provides a forum for important conversations around responsible interactions with marine life and the ocean along our coast,” she said. McGillivray pointed to Prince of Whales’ decades of work advocating for whale conservation, noting the company has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into marine conservation initiatives over the past several years. Team members also actively contribute to marine research and stewardship, she adds. “We believe our more than 30-year commitment to conservation, research,
education, and marine stewardship is very well aligned with Ocean Week’s conservation message, and we plan to continue serving the whales, and the local community, at similar events in the future,” said McGillivray. Ultimately, protesters believe land-based whale watching should be encouraged, with Vancouver Island offering some of the best opportunities to do so. “Following from vessels affects whales’ natural behaviours – it limits them from eating, feeding and resting,” said Ryan Michael. “The only respectful way of watching whales is quietly from the shore,
without adding to the chaos on the water.”
Vancouver Island, Victoria, whale watching, speed limits, Ocean Week, Jessie Leo, Wisp, Prince of Whales, Howe Sound, Transport Canada, Be Whale Wise, Pacific Whale Watch Association