Less whale tours, dams: Washington task force returns with guidance on Tuesday
Come Tuesday, there's going to be a whole new set of recommendations for how Washington can help its Southern Resident orca population. But some of the greatest changes won't be the ones that happen overnight.
Gov. Jay Inslee first assembled the group in March, inviting representatives from tribal, federal, local and other state governments, as well the private and non-profit sectors, to come together and develop longer-term action recommendations for orca recovery and future sustainability.
The task force's main goals were to reduce the harm of the three main challenges facing orcas: pollution; lack of access to their primary prey, the chinook salmon; and boat traffic noise.
And though it's only been about six months since Gov. Jay Inslee created a task force to draw up some guidelines about how to help the local Southern Resident orca population, it feels like a different world for the whales.
The pods had a rocky summer, starting with the latest census data showing that their population had dipped to a 30-year low, having lost 25 percent of the local orcas since the 1990s. Shortly after that, Tahlequah made headlines around the world when she swam with the body of dead calf for a week, covering 1,000 miles.
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/environment/article/tours-dams-Washington-task-force-orca-southern-13382137.php