Fisheries and Oceans Canada has opened an investigation into reports of a man seen allegedly harassing orcas off the coast of Vancouver Island.
The incident happened in near Royston in Baynes Sound, between Vancouver Island and Denman Island on Monday.
Photographer TJ Campbell said he saw the orcas and rushed down to the beach in the hopes of getting some shots of the pod, when he noticed a man in an aluminum boat in the water near the animals.
“I didn’t think much of it because, you know, sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time … but then as the orcas kind of pass by, he started up his engine again and and drove right to the middle of them again,” Campbell said.
“He brings out his fishing rod, whether it was just to get photos, trying to look like he’s catching the orca, I don’t know … then, you know, he just kept driving in between them and then trying to touch them.”
Campbell said the orcas, which had a calf with them, appeared none too pleased about the interactions, and eventually started slapping their tails at him.
Every time the pod moved away, the man would start his boat up and approach once again, Campbell said.
While it’s not clear what kind of orcas are seen in the photos, the waters are known to be frequented by British Columbia’s critically endangered southern resident killer whales, who numbered just 73 as of February.
Their plight has prompted a strict federal protection order, requiring boaters to stay at least 400 metres away from any orcas in southern B.C. coastal waters between Campbell River and Ucluelet.
People caught breaking the order can face up to 18 months in jail and a fine of $250,000.
“It was constant. Like for over 20 minutes, he kept doing it, and then everybody on the beach started yelling and screaming,” Campbell said.
Campbell said the man appeared to finally take the hint when another boat arrived in the area and killed its engine when it saw the orcas.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada confirmed the incident had been reported, and that fisheries officers from the Whale Protection Unit were “currently looking into it.”
It also thanked the public for reporting the encounter, and said anyone who observes whales being harassed, disturbed or in distress can report to to the DFO’s Observe, Record, Report/ Marine Mammal Incident Hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
Campbell said he hopes the man in the boat does the right thing and turns himself in to fisheries officials.
“It’s maddening to watch something like that. I mean, we all would love to be close to them — as a photographer, I want to get that great shot that everybody oohs and ahs over, but not at the expense of the animal,” he said.
“He could have had a really good experience if he would have just stopped his engine and just sat there — I mean, they would have probably come to him anyways, he didn’t need to go chase them down, he didn’t need to do any of that stuff, and it would have been a different story.”
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