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Orca task force
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SEATTLE -- Q13 News has obtained documents containing potential recommendations that could come out of Governor Jay Inslee's task force to save southern resident orcas, but some task force members are already saying they don't go far enough.
The official draft report does not come out for another week, but these documents give us insight into what actions the expert working groups prioritized.
Some have lauded efforts to restore habitat and estuaries for salmon, but the most negative feedback Q13 News reporter Simone Del Rosario has received involves the lack of action regarding dams.
The only potential recommendation to choose from that includes dam removal is to provide funding for projects that are already approved and widely supported.
The highly controversial four Lower Snake River dams are on the backburner because the task force has not yet had their webinar on the topic, and that webinar is happening after the draft report comes out.
Another concern is what appears to be a heavy reliance on hatchery production and killing seals and sea lions, which eat the fish orca need. Simone spoke to a member of the prey working group who says the approach is too short-term.
"I worry that by overly relying on these actions we continue to divert attention and money and resources away from the root cause of these problems which is widespread ecological disturbance through the damming of our rivers and the degradation of floodplain and habitat," Robb Krehbiel with Defenders of Wildlife said. "There's a lot of good things in this but I'm concerned it's not as bold as it needs to be to prevent the extinction of southern resident orcas."
There has been a lot of effort and hours that have gone into these recommendations. There are well over 100, but some of the recommendations Simone highlighted include mandatory slow speed zones for boats around whales; spilling over hydro dams, a controversial action that has been litigated in court for years; and dramatically reducing whale watching vessels by using a limited entry permit system.
Center for Whale Research's Ken Balcomb told Q13 news he is extremely disappointed with what he has seen so far.
"I have to really decide whether or not this task force is for me or not. It doesn't seem to be for the whales so, therefore, I think it's not for me," Balcomb said.
These recommendations and dozens more will be debated and hopefully narrowed down by task force members.
"We're a task force making recommendations and we're going to do the very best strongest recommendations that we can but we need to take the sorrow and the frustration and the anger people have expressed around the plight of these whales and put their voices to their policymakers," task force co-chair Stephanie Solien said.
The task force has about a week to review all of these potential recommendations. The public will be able to weigh in on the draft report on September 24.