Vancouver Sun, Thursday, August 21, 2003

Fisherman fined $250 for petting orca

A Vancouver commercial fisherman pleaded guilty to disturbing a marine mammal and was fined $250 after petting Luna, an orca whale living in Nootka Sound.
This is the second time a B.C. judge has convicted a person for petting the whale. The same judged fined a Gold River woman $100 for a similar offence in May and promised to increase the amount of future fines as a deterrent.
Luna has been living in the remote inlet on the west coast of Vancouver Island since July 2001 and, although initially shy of boaters and humans, the whale has increasingly sought contact with them.
The fisheries department has posted a large sign at Gold River wharf warning the public not to touch or feed whales. DFO officials are concerned that if the whale becomes too used to social interactions, its chance of surviving in its natural habitat will decrease.

© Copyright 2003 Vancouver Sun

Vancouver Sun Letters sunletters@png.canwest.com