Debate continues whether whale watching hurts or harms Southern Resident orcas
Everyone on all sides of Southern Resident killer whale recovery will call noise a problem for the orcas. The whale watching industry often finds itself in the middle of the debate over how to solve the problem.
"Killer whales use echolocation to find their prey, which means they put out a click and hear the echo come back off the fish. As you can imagine, that echo coming back is very faint. So, if there is too much noise, they can't hear the echo," said University of Washington Acoustics Scientist David Bain.
Bain was once considered an adversary of whale watching boats. He studied the Southern Resident killer whales and his research prompted changes in the industry. The boats stay farther away and go slower so the whales can find their food.
Bain said scientists have found that when it's really loud the whales just give up looking for fish. But whale watch boats aren't his biggest concern anymore.
"The one I worry about most are small boats that are going fast that may not even be aware the whales are there," Bain said.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/debate-continues-whether-whale-watching-hurts-or-harms-southern-resident-orcas/ar-AAB4ppY
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