Tweeters -- You might be interested in the story that Seattle P-I
Reporter Lisa Stiffler did on this subject recently. You can see it at:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/72927_orca01.shtml

Jane Hadley
Seattle, WA
jhadle at drizzle.com

Jack Kintner wrote:

> I completely agree. I have thousands of hours flying time on floats
> and wheels between the San Juans and SE Alaska, and in all that
> territory, including Johnstone Straight's well-known rubbing beaches,
> it's right here, specifically west of San Juan Island, where all
> summer long small groups of killer whales are surrounded by tour
> boats, that even if well-behaved draw others who are frequently quite
> reckless. Ditto aircraft flying below the legal 1,000 or 1,100 foot
> limit (depends on whom you ask).
> [snip]

>
> At 11:02 PM 6/12/02 -0700, you wrote:
>
>> MEYER2J at aol.com wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi Tweets:
>> >
>> > If you're looking for an opportunity to possibly see Orca whales, join
>> > East Lake Washington Audubon on their field trip with Viking Cruises.
>>
>> Tweeters, et al.
>>
>> If you are looking for an opportunity to contribute to the demise of the
>> orca whale then by all means take a whale watching trip in the San
>> Juans.
>>
>> I'm sorry but, after witnessing the passage of a small group of orcas
>> last week around Guemes, I can't avoid the impression that these
>> creatures are being disturbed by the flotilla of observers that
>> accompanies them.
>>
>> Every summer, all summer long, orcas are followed by throngs of
>> observers. The tour operators are in radio contact with each other and
>> once a group of whales is sighted the circus begins. Sure there is a
>> distance that is supposed to be kept between the observers and the
>> observed and I think most operators try to maintain this protocol but
>> the fact remains that these creatures are closely followed throughout
>> the summer. I can't help but feel that they are disturbed. I know that
>> it is not scientific fact. A correlational study would reveal that as
>> tours have increased orca numbers have decreased. That wouldn't offer a
>> very powerful argument for limiting the number of whale watching tours.
>> By the time some evidence of cause and effect could be tested the whales
>> may be gone. [snip]
>
>>
>> Paul Moorehead
>> Guemes, WA
>