B.C.'s Whale Protection Unit is having an impact. But critics and officers say Canada is falling behind Washington State's approach when it comes to fines, permitting and manpower.
Half a nautical mile off Thieves Bay, Scotti Griffin pops the aluminum-hull patrol boat into neutral.
Such acoustic disturbances are one of three primary threats facing the southern residents. Others include contamination from toxins and pollution and dwindling chinook salmon stocks — the species' primary food source. Pandemic driving ignorance around whale regulations Boaters ignorant of the federal whale regulations have been on the rise across southern B.C. waters. Since the start of the pandemic, many new boaters took to the water at a time the whale unit was barred from visiting big events like the Seattle Boat Show, where officers used to go to get the word out.
In the most desperate circumstances, the whale protection unit — which, like all fisheries officers, carry handguns on their belts — might jump on a loudspeaker to warn off approaching vessels, flash a blue emergency light or detain and arrest a scofflaw crew. The two units must travel roughly 200 kilometres to reach their patrol borders. Often, says Griffin, it can take two hours after they receive a report to arrive on the scene.
On the way back to the boat, Griffin smiles, gleefully pointing to a bumper sticker advertising a local whale protection network. There are signs their push to educate boaters is paying off. Running up the coast of Galiano Island, we pass cormorant nests high up on seaside cliffs and small rocky islands, often sunbathing hotspots for seals and sea lions.
In 2004, 42 humpbacks were identified in one corner of B.C.s north coast region; by 2019, the number of individuals spotted in the area had climbed to 426, according to the North Coast Cetacean Society.The whales in some areas are so plentiful that Griffin and her colleagues have come to call a stretch of water near Campbell River "whale soup."
In 2021, a crew from Straitwatch — a marine mammal monitoring and education program — photographed a humpback that had never been spotted in B.C. A couple of weeks later, before they could even name it, the whale had propeller marks from two different boats. "If you hit them, it's devastating," she says.
And from the air, Transport Canada's National Aerial Surveillance Program relays information to the Whale Protection Unit. Straitwatch and the Whale Protection Unit often work closely together. But that hasn't stopped the non-profit from criticizing the government agency. And while DFO's general duty detachments support the whale-focused unit, Perkovic says there have been several incidents where the general duty officers might get another call about people harvesting shellfish in a closed area. A potential public health threat, they would quickly pull up and leave, she said.
With the Steveston wharf in sight, this reporter gets a phone call from a colleague: several people spotted a speed boat harassing a pod of transient whales near Campbell River.
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