Congressman Rick Larsen's Online Office

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Rick Larsen recently sent a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) asking that they extend the public comment period for their proposed rules to restrict vessel activity near orca whales.  The rules, which were proposed in July, would prohibit vessels from approaching within 200 yards of orcas at all times, outlaw parking in the path of a moving orca, and ban virtually all vessel traffic within 800 yards of west side of San Juan Island for 5 months each year.

Larsen’s letter states: “I am deeply concerned that the proposed rules would restrict recreational opportunities for local communities and hurt local businesses without providing meaningful protection for orcas. The NMFS proposal will prevent many of my constituents from fishing, kayaking and boating for pleasure as well as severely hinder the operation of commercial whale watching and kayak touring industries.”

NMFS has conducted three public hearings on the proposed rules – Anacortes on September 24th, Seattle on September 30th, and Friday Harbor on October 5th.  At these meetings, hundreds of concerned citizens and local business owners came to express their views regarding the proposals.

“Over the last few months, many of my constituents have contacted me to express their opposition to the proposed restrictions on whale watching activities in the San Juan Islands,” said Larsen.  “I believe that the National Marine Fisheries Service needs to take more time to hear their concerns, meet with local business owners, and consider how their proposal is going to affect real jobs in Northwest Washington.”

At this time, NMFS has not indicated when the proposed rules will be finalized.  The full text of the letter is pasted below.

October 8, 2009

 Dr. James Balsiger
Acting Assistant Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Dear Dr. Balsiger:

On July 27th, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposed regulations regarding endangered Southern Resident Orcas residing in the inland waters of Washington state (Docket No. 070821475-81493-01).  The purpose of this letter is to ask you to extend the deadline for public comment on these proposed regulations.

These regulations would prohibit vessels from approaching orcas within 200 yards, prevent vessels from parking in the path of orcas, and create a large conservation area on the West side of San Juan Island, into which no boats could enter for five months each year.  I am deeply concerned that the proposed rules would restrict recreational opportunities for local communities and hurt local businesses without providing meaningful protection for orcas.  The NMFS proposal will prevent many of my constituents from fishing, kayaking and boating for pleasure as well as severely hinder the operation of commercial whale watching and kayak touring industries.

While I question the substance of these proposed regulations, I recognize that NMFS is engaged in public outreach as part of its rulemaking process.  In meetings in Anacortes, Seattle and Friday Harbor, several hundred concerned citizens and local business owners gathered to share comments on the proposed rules.  Although NMFS has not yet published the comments they have received via mail and email, anecdotal evidence indicates that hundreds more of my constituents have written NMFS to express their views on these proposals.

Given the intense interest in the proposed rules, I ask that you extend the deadline for public comments to January 15, 2010.  I further ask that you give full and fair consideration to concerns being raised by residents of Northwest Washington.  In particular, I encourage you to conduct extensive outreach to those stakeholders who frequent the Haro Strait for recreational and commercial purposes.

Thank you for considering my request and for your ongoing engagement with my office regarding the actions you are taking to protect Southern Resident Orcas.  I look forward to working with you to restore this endangered species while preserving recreational and commercial opportunities for my constituents.

Sincerely,

Rick Larsen

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