A young resident killer whale chases a chinook salmon near Vancouver Island.
A senator from Orcas Island has set out to protect two of his hometown’s defining natural elements during the 2018 legislative session. Namely, Sen. Kevin Ranker, a Democrat, is seeking to secure provisions for orca whales and Puget Sound as a whole through the new Salish Sea Protection package.
"Increasing vessel traffic, potential oil spills, pollution, invasive species and climate change are all major threats to our incredible Salish Sea and billions of dollars in economic activity that depend upon a healthy ecosystem," said Ranker in a press release. "Today, those threats increased with the Trump announcement to open Washington state to new offshore oil and gas exploration. We must ensure we protect our state waters from the greatest threat, a major oil spill, as well as legacy contamination and invasive species that continue to put our waters and Orca Whales at risk."
The Salish Sea Protection package includes new legislation that would commit the state to making drastic improvements to its oil spill response plans, strengthening protections for orcas, banning net pen aquaculture of invasive species and prioritizing toxic cleanups in the nearshore and marine environment.
"People have built an incredible quality of life in our state, but today, that quality of life is significantly threatened by outdated practices and regulations, increasing oil transportation and reckless action by the federal administration," said Ranker in the release. "From fishing for salmon or crabbing, to exploring tide pools along a rocky shore or watching magnificent Southern Resident Orca jump and play as they swim by, this quality of life, this incredible place we call home is worth protecting."
Specifically the legislation calls for Washington to fully fund oil spill prevention and response activities, including updates to critical geographic response plans, research on tug escorts and rescue tugs for all vessels carrying millions of gallons of oil and increasing coordination with Canadian authorities. A second bill looks to establish a new, permanent Emergency Response Tug in addition to requirement for tug escores for oil tankers, oil bargers and ATBs operating in Puget Sound.
The press release from Ranker notes that the population of killer whales in Puget Sound is approaching a “death spiral” toward extinction after having reached its lowest levels since 1984. Protections for orcas would include the creation of a permanent vessel enforcement program to keep boats away from whales, while increasing support for salmon production and restoration.
Fish farming in Puget Sound found itself in the crosshairs of the legislation following the escape of more than 100,000 non-native Atlantic salmon from a fish farm operated by Cooke Aquaculture in August. The proposed legislation would eliminate all new leases and permits for Atlantic salmon net pens in addition to all net pens for other nonnative finfish. Increased oversight for existing net pens operations, many of which are operating under regulations that are over a quarter century old, is also called for in the legislation.
