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Boating Tips

Boaters Reminded to Keep Their Distance From Wildlife

Officials are concerned that boaters are getting too close to whales in the wild.

The spring and summer of 2020 have seen encounters with whales and other wildlife on the rise, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). One of 10 endangered right whale calves birthed off the East Coast of the United States was found dead off Monmouth Beach, N.J. According the National Fisherman, a necropsy determined the young male was struck at least twice by a vessel, suffering wounds from the propellers and skegs.

A close inshore encounter in late May on New Jersey’s Navesink River resulted in a powerboat bumping a whale without causing serious injury. Multiple social media posts from new York and New Jersey show boats too close to breaching whales feeding on menhaden.

Boats are supposed to maintain a distance of 100’ (30.48 m) away for all whales including dolphins and 500’ (152.4 m) for right whales.

Manatee Deaths Rising

Down south in Florida, the Miami Herald reports that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission doesn’t know why the number of manatees dying is up compared to 2019. There were 606 manatee deaths in 2019 and the number for this year is already at 355 and of those, 103 have occurred since May.

Boaters need to be vigilant about avoiding manatees.

Activist groups point to more boaters being on the water during COVID-19 as a possible cause. Last year saw 136 manatees die as a result of collisions with watercraft. So far this year, officials say that there have been 36 watercraft collision with animals. That doesn’t include the 126 found dead in the water or the 43 that have an undetermined cause of death.

In 2019, there were 129 unrecovered manatees the entire year, and 92 animals with an undetermined cause of death.

Because of COVID-19, the FWC has not been able to perform necropsies on the dead manatees as quickly as it normally could.

Harassing Orcas

In July, a killer whale pod swimming through the Tacoma Narrows off the Washington coast was “harassed” by local boaters, according to witnesses. Boats were as close to the endangered animals as 50’ (15.24 m), which is illegal.

This blurry image shows how close this personal watercraft got to the killer whales.

Killer whales are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and overseen by NOAA. The orcas in question are part of a group of transient mammals known as T46 and by law, boaters are supposed to stay 200 yards (182.88 m) away. A whale-related infraction can cost a violator a fine of up to $1,025.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to the incident, but by the time a patrol arrived on scene, only three of the boats remained. One verbal warning was issued.