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Whales and other marine mammals are subject to new Canadian regulations requiring boaters to stay away from or face heavy fines – giving teeth to what was recommended before.
buffer zone, although this distance may vary. Orcas, for example, requires a 200-meter buffer zone
Under the Fisheries Act, those who break the rules could incur penalties ranging from $ 100,000 to $ 500,000. According to DFO, repeated offenses could result in a higher fine or even a term of imprisonment.
However, it is expected that the federal government will focus more on education than on an authoritarian approach
. Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) issued a press release Wednesday morning and will hold an information session in the afternoon.
New rules for whale watching come into effect today. It is now against the law to get closer to 100 meters of whales, could face fines of $ 100,000 #cbcnl pic.twitter.com/FS9n0WGpyy
In February, the federal government declared that it would become mandatory in 2018 to report interactions with whales. In June, $ 167.4 million in funding was announced to support the recovery of the BC Geese, North Atlantic right whales and St. Lawrence Estuary beluga whales. . According to Wayne Ledwell, who heads Whale Release and Strandings, a non-profit group based in Newfoundland.
In many cases they come to see us because they are curious, especially humpback whales – Rick Stanley
He says they often do not understand the behavior of whales or the best practices around marine mammals. And are more likely to do things that are a danger to animals – and themselves.
"People have been killed by these animals," Ledwell said.
"They have 16-foot tails, and that's what they use for protection and mobility."
"Respect for Whales"
The owner of Ocean Quest Adventures said the new regulations should not Rick Stanley said he and other operators had been consulting with DFO officials for years and that, even if they knew that changes were coming, they had already put in place best practices
. Ocean Quest practices "pbadive interaction" with marine mammals.
We do not want to harbad whales, and we do not want anyone to harbad them. – Rick Stanley, owner of Ocean Quest Adventures
Stanley said many times, when a whale too close to an excursion boat, it's because the mammal decided to do it.
"They often come to us because they are curious, especially humpback whales," he said. Humpback whales are the soft giants and ballerinas of the sea, and they like to put on a screen for tour boat operations. "
Ocean Quest also offers scuba diving, which puts you in contact with marine mammals"
These are special experiments, says Stanley, but which are not forced.
"We do not want harbad the whales, and we do not want to do it. "I hope the people there who own boats and everything respect the whales as we do as teachers.
This humpback whale was released three nautical miles off Main Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. (Submitted by Julie Huntington)
Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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