New law in effect to protect endangered Southern Resident orcas

A new law went into effect Wednesday, January 1 to protect Washington’s beloved Southern Resident orcas.

According to a news release from the Orca Network, the new law mandates recreational vessels must stay a minimum of 1,000 yards away from Southern Residents. The intent is to reduce noise that interferes with the animals’ echolocation and provide the orcas with enough room to forage without interruption.

The Orca Network noted the new rule does not apply to mammal-eating transient or Bigg’s Killer Whales who have been present in the Puget Sound more often than the Southern Residents in recent years.

“The Bigg’s orcas are not endangered and are not easy for most people to tell apart from Southern Residents,” the news release stated.

More Southern Resident news: Mother orca whale again seen carrying dead calf; another new calf spotted

Orca Network Program Manager Stephanie Raymond said if someone isn’t sure which type of orca they are seeing, it’s best to assume the whale is a Southern Resident and to avoid the area or maintain a 1,000-yard distance.

“Real-time sightings enable Orca Network to keep commercial shipping traffic up to date on the location of the Southern Resident orcas at all times,” Orca Network’s Rachel Haight said. “That’s important since the new law doesn’t apply to commercial boats, like cargo ships or ferries.”

However, the new law does apply to commercial whale watching vessels that have trained naturalists onboard.

The Orca Network encourages anyone who sees a whale from shore or from a boat to send a report to the Orca Network via sightings@orcanetwork.org or through the Orca Network’s website.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.