Orcas get closer to federal protection
Agency reverses itself, favors 'threatened' status for whales
Puget Sound's resident orcas are on track to win protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, thanks to a government reversal that delighted environmentalists and legions of whale worshippers.
The National Marine Fisheries Service proposed yesterday that the region's struggling orca pods be declared "threatened" under the law. Final approval could take up to a year.
The state of Washington and the Canadian government have already listed the iconic whales as endangered, but the federal action would trigger more safeguards.
Environmentalists and some government officials predict the designation will spur action to better preserve the Sound, as well as coastal areas and rivers and streams important to salmon -- the killer whales' favorite food.
Federal protections may also spark stricter regulation of the release and cleanup of hazardous chemicals and funnel additional funding to the region. Guidelines for keeping boats a safe distance from orcas could become law.
"It gives us the hope we can do the right thing for the orcas," said Patti Goldman, a Seattle attorney with Earthjustice. "It gives us the hope and the tools."
"It's a great decision for us, a great decision for the killer whale and a great decision for science," said Brent Plater, an attorney with the Tucson, Ariz.,-based Center for Biological Diversity. "If you stick to your sound scientific principles, ultimately conservation, and not politics, is going to prevail."
Continue reading this story from the Seattle P-I:
Orcas get closer to federal protection