Washington Administrative Code
Title 220 - Fish and Wildlife, Department of
WILDLIFE
Chapter 220-460 - Commercial whale watching
Section 220-460-130 - Nonmotorized commercial whale watching vessels
Universal Citation: WA Admin Code 220-460-130
Current through Register Vol. 24-06, March 15, 2024
(1) Tours involving any nonmotorized watercraft used for the purposes of commercial whale watching, such as kayaks, are subject to these requirements. Such watercraft constitute commercial whale watching vessels and are referred to as "vessels" in this chapter. Regardless of the type of nonmotorized watercraft involved, the person operating on behalf of the business to conduct the tour is referred to as a "kayak guide" in this chapter.
(2) Kayak guides must prevent all vessels in their tour group from disturbing southern resident killer whales. All vessels in the tour group must adhere to the following requirements:
(a) It is unlawful to launch if
southern resident killer whales are within one-half nautical mile of the launch
location.
(b) Vessels are
prohibited from being paddled, positioned, or waiting in the path of a southern
resident killer whale. If a southern resident killer whale is moving towards a
vessel, the vessel must immediately be moved out of the path of the
whale.
(c) If a vessel or vessels
inadvertently encounter a southern resident killer whale, they must immediately
be moved as close to shore as possible and secured, or be rafted up close to
shore or in a kelp bed, and paddling shall cease until any and all killer
whales have moved to at least four hundred yards away from the vessels. Rafting
up is defined as manually holding vessels close together, maintaining a tight
grouping.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Washington may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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