Enjoy Orca from Land

A Problem with Boat Noise

Despite the fact that North Americans hold a great love in their hearts for this magnificent animal, the orca whale is beginning to show signs of extinction in the Puget Sound.

The orca hunts, navigates, and communicates by sound. Sound carries underwater for miles. People have underestimated how much interference is caused by propeller noise and engine noise emanating from boats in the Puget Sound which chase and harrass the orca in it's native habitat. Even those boat operators who strictly obey laws meant to protect the orca are contributing to the extinction of the animal their livelihood depends on.

Many orca have died prematurely in the Puget Sound in recent years. Those remaining are showing signs of “peanut head”, a condition which indicates severe malnutrition. The cause for their malnutrition is boat noise which impairs their ability to locate already-scarce salmon, their primary food. Based on the premature deaths and the condition of the remaining animals, the law apparently doesn't go far enough.

Land-Based Whale Watching is Better

If you want to connect with the spirit of the orca, you cannot do it via excitement, noise, or a mob mentality. It can only be done with patience and silence and reverence. Enjoy orca from land, where you will hear only the breeze, the gentle lapping of waves against the shore, the whispers of other respectful park visitors, and the orca itself, rather than the engine noise of your vessel and the clamoring of other excited boat passengers. More importantly, your silence will allow the orca the freedom to hear, and the ability to locate food, find it's way, and communicate with other members of it's pod. Land-based whale watching, if you're lucky, is also the only way you can have a close encounter with an orca without harming it, as they sometimes do approach shore.

Honoring Nature Requires Mental Clarity

Cognitive Dissonance: Proponents of boat-based whale watching claim that they are not harming the orca; but do not underestimate the power of cognitive dissonance. They believe what they are saying, but the reason they believe it is because they are engaged in the activity, not because they have a credible argument or special insight. Cognitive dissonance causes people to believe that whatever they are already doing is good, because they are doing it. This cart is before its horse.

Profit Motive: Anyone who has a profit motive to promote boat-based whale watching cannot be considered an unbiased source of information about boat-based whale watching. A conflict of interest makes such a source of information incredible. Foxes do not make legitimate hen house guards.

Unawareness: Elmyra Duff was a cartoon character, related to Elmer Fudd, from Warner Brothers' animated series Tiny Toon Adventures in the 1980's. Her comedy gag was how much she “loved” animals to death, unaware of the effects of her actions. Are boat-based whale watching operators and their patrons just as unaware?

Unintentional: Of course they would not intentionally harm the orca—but then neither would Elmyra. Good intentions are not enough. We must also abandon any illusions, develop a keener perception of reality, and take responsibility for the effects of our actions. We cannot honor Nature without doing so.

Prevention Requires Clarity: In truth, boat-based whale watching is putting itself out of business* by causing the extinction of one of the Puget Sound ecosystem's most iconic and magnificent animal species. This tragedy is completely preventable, but like so many of the world's problems, prevention requires a degree of mental clarity that has unnecessarily eluded too many of us.

Avoid Black & White Thinking: Of course the livelihood of tour operators and the local economy matter, but we must adapt to the simple realities of Nature, not conceptualize them as deniable inconveniences. We cannot deny Nature and succeed. The orca are dying. Honesty can protect the local economy, just as it can protect the orca, if we make room for it within our hearts before it's too late.

Sustainability: Can we expect not to disrupt Natural life-sustaining behaviors of animals who depend on sound to locate food, navigate, and communicate, yet are chased mercilessly by deafening boats day in and day out? Let's be honest with ourselves about this and make it sustainable. Land-based whale watching (or whale watching using silent human-powered watercraft) is the only way to connect with the spirit of the orca sustainably.