NOAA Fisheries Service listed the Southern Resident killer whales as endangered under the Endangered Species (ESA) on Nov. 18, 2005. The agency identified vessel effects, including physical interference and sound, as a potential contributing factor in the population’s decline. Before the ESA listing, NOAA Fisheries Service had designated Southern Residents as a depleted stock under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
Both the MMPA and the ESA prohibit take, including harassment, of killer whales, but these statutes do not prohibit specified acts. The recovery plan for Southern Resident killer whales includes as a management action the evaluation of current vessel guidelines and the need for regulations and/or protected areas.
Jan. 15, 2010: The comment period closed. We will post comments, but it will take some time to organize and format them for the Web. We'll notify people via our killer whale listserve when comments are available.
Oct. 16, 2009; Comment Period Extension: NOAA extended the deadline for submitting comments on proposed vessels regulation to protect killer whales in Puget Sound to Jan. 15, 2010. See the Federal Register notice (PDF 48KB) for more information. The proposed rule and associated documents are further down this page.
Public Meetings: The Northwest Region held public meetings on the proposed vessel regulations, below, so people could learn more about them and provide comments. The meetings were held in Washington State in 2009 on Sept. 24 in Anacortes; Sept. 30 in Seattle; and Oct. 5 in Friday Harbor.
July 28, 2009: The Northwest Region announced proposed regulations to protect killer whales in Washington State from the effects of various vessel activities.