To the editor,
Re: Show restraint, admire killer whales from afar, Editorial, July 25.
Can someone tell the public that we have only had southern resident (chinook salmon-eating) killer whales in the straits of Georgia, Haro and Juan de Fuca five days since April? And we in the Canadian Pacific Whale Watch Association have chosen not to watch them at all.
The whales referenced near Nanaimo were most likely Bigg’s (marine-mammal-eating) killer whales and they are doing really well. The Bigg’s have lots of seals, sea lions and porpoise to eat because the food forage/prey fish that support seal, sea lion and porpoise populations are no longer fished to near collapse (unlike chinook salmon, whose large coastal river spawning habitats have been destroyed by housing, industry, farming, forestry, shipping, dams, pollution, consumers flushing antibiotics and toxins, shoreline ‘armouring,’ over-consumption of water, you know, all the selfish and bad stuff we humans do.
The southern resident killer whales are the only eco-type of killer whales that appear compromised. Even the northern resident (chinook salmon-eating) killer whales are thriving, likely because their food supply of chinook is substantially healthier than the stocks in the straits of Georgia, Haro and Juan de Fuca.
RELATED: Three southern resident killer whales declared dead plunging population to 73
We in the whale watch association have had conservation and stewardship guidelines for over 25 years, self-regulations and operating based on the best available science, long before either the U.S. or Canadian politicians starting stepping in trying to score brownie points with voters.
Have we or I been perfect in stewardship and conservation? No, but every day I have endeavoured to learn more and do better.
Do not let them deceive you; governments have screwed up. And all of us as voters and consumers have been asleep at the wheel ignoring our role as we have not paid enough attention, not cared enough nor changed our ways even when we knew we were damaging nature.
Shame on all of us for pointing fingers. We all are responsible and it will take all of us to get out of this mess we have left for our kids and grandchildren.
James Dale, Victoria
RELATED: ‘Almost supernatural:’ orcas active around Nanaimo
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