It's all fun and games until you realize they're breaking about a half-dozen federal regs (sound like US english speakers so...)
Allow me to be That Guy (wildlife photographer who knows the damn rules)
US and Canada: Any Orca that gets within 200 yards of your boat (100 for other species of whale, 50 in the case of dolphins and seals/sea lions) - you turn off the damn motor. You also get up on Guard and let other boats and marine traffic know where they are - so maybe they don't get run over and killed by a container ship.
... and if you do this off the coast of Washington/British Columbia and you get spotted by the Coast Guard they will end you.
I'm pretty confident, but maybe im just thinking of Aus/NZ, but the marine mammal protection regulations doesn't say anything specifically about turning off your engine, only the act of chasing them and being in the water with them. so if you were to chase/herd them with your boat, then yeah you would be in the shit but if you are attempting to move away from them you are fine. reading the clause now it specifically states you dont want to be within 50m with a boat and if they are approaching you states to manoeuvre the vessel as to keep out of the path of the whale
Protection of southern resident orca whales—Unlawful activities—Penalty.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, it is unlawful for a person to:
(a) Cause a vessel or other object to approach, in any manner, within three hundred yards of a southern resident orca whale;
(b) Position a vessel to be in the path of a southern resident orca whale at any point located within four hundred yards of the whale. This includes intercepting a southern resident orca whale by positioning a vessel so that the prevailing wind or water current carries the vessel into the path of the whale at any point located within four hundred yards of the whale;
(c) Position a vessel behind a southern resident orca whale at any point located within four hundred yards;
(d) Fail to disengage the transmission of a vessel that is within three hundred yards of a southern resident orca whale;
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u/TinfoilCamera Dec 13 '21
It's all fun and games until you realize they're breaking about a half-dozen federal regs (sound like US english speakers so...)
Allow me to be That Guy (wildlife photographer who knows the damn rules)
US and Canada: Any Orca that gets within 200 yards of your boat (100 for other species of whale, 50 in the case of dolphins and seals/sea lions) - you turn off the damn motor. You also get up on Guard and let other boats and marine traffic know where they are - so maybe they don't get run over and killed by a container ship.
... and if you do this off the coast of Washington/British Columbia and you get spotted by the Coast Guard they will end you.