At least 150 people showed up to the 1st round of 3 public meetings held Sept. 24th in Anacortes to listen and make comments on NOAA's proposed federal regulations, aimed at further protecting the Endangered Southern Resident Orca whales. A long line extended out the door from the larger than expected turnout.
The soft voices of the two NOAA women presenters were made even softer by their lack of microphone and bad acoustics in the large warehouse. The crowd soon turned hostile & antagonistically against these NOAA moderators, as it became pretty immediately obvious that the majority of folks in this disgruntled audience of mostly sport fishermen, whale-watch boat & kayak tour company owners did not support either the planned schedule in the agenda for the Q & A part of the evening nor especially did they take kindly to the proposed increased 200 yard distance regulations & establishment of a 'No Go Zone' along the west side of San Juan island...(*Not surprising since the whale watch industry alone is estimated to bring in over $7 million year annually to Skagit County.)
While commercial kayak tour groups such as the above photo shows also currently launch daily en mass during summer months directly into the Southern Resident Orca whales favorite place in the San Juan island archipelago, the west side of San Juan island. Under NOAA's new proposed guidelines a 1/2 mile "No Go Zone" would prohibit these business owners from profiting while continuing to disturb an Endangered Species in their critical habitat...Needless to say these tour business owners are not embracing this protective idea.
Under NOAA's new proposed regulations, vessels such as these commercial whale-watch tour boats could be fined for intentionally positioning in the path of the oncoming Endangered Orca whales if passed. (*The two whale-watch boats I've worked on in the past two years, one Anacortes and one Bellingham-based, did this regularly.)
While this other locally based whale-watch tour boat often spend hours a day closely following the whales and whose captain is leading a strong fight against NOAA. 
Many at the meeting seemed to be overlooking that under the new proposed NOAA regulations there's still the whole rest of the ocean to view the Orcas. For example, close up viewings from a kayak as seen in the above photo, would still be possible here at Iceberg Point on Lopez island, just a few miles from the end of the proposed 'No-Go-Zone' at Cattle Pass on San Juan island.
Many at the meeting seemed to be overlooking that under the new proposed NOAA regulations there's still the whole rest of the ocean to view the Orcas. For example, close up viewings from a kayak as seen in the above photo, would still be possible here at Iceberg Point on Lopez island, just a few miles from the end of the proposed 'No-Go-Zone' at Cattle Pass on San Juan island.
We observed one locally based whale-watch boat closely follow the pods for hours while the above private power boater blatantly and repeatedly blocked the path of Southern Resident Orcas as they travelled slowly down Rosario Strait one summer morning... 
You betcha 'guaranteed whale sightings' that the same commercial boat owner was at the meeting, expressing his opposition to the proposed increased distance regulations- presumably driven by the fear of decreased profit $$ to be made by further protecting the Endangered Species.
A short video clip of the Sept. 24th, NOAA public meeting.We met several friends at the meeting, all of us you could say were 'on the whales side' and in support of NOAA's new proposed regulations. One word adjectives came out of each of us throughout the evening as we disappointingly described the unruly crowd at the Anacortes public meeting:
Fear. Anger. Selfishness. Rude.
Not exactly the compassionate characteristics of people who have the best interest of the future of our Endangered Southern Resident Orca whales in mind. But then again, these are the same folks who have depleted the Orcas favorite food, the Chinook salmon to an Endangered Species listing also, through decades of overfishing. Reduced food supply, environmental & noise pollution are the biggest threats to the Southern Resident Orcas.
**Many of these Anacortes-based commercial whale-watch & fishing boats also still continue to pollute the Salish Sea waters through the unnecessary practice of dumping their onboard sewage into the very same waters which the Orcas feed, breed and travel...when they could be pumping out FOR FREE at the marinas upon return.
(Want to see for yourself? All you have to do is spend some time watching the sewage pump-out dock inside Cap Sante Marina here in Anacortes and you'll quickly notice that not many commercial boats based are stopping to pump out at it.)
*Unfortunately, the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce has also chosen not to support NOAA but rather to oppose this agency's protective proposal. And so it goes here with small town politics, presumably because whale-watch captains are also Chamber board members, and the big money this corrupt industry brings to our small town seems more important that protecting our marine mammals and environment.
