TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – August 16, 2024

On the Rocky Mountaineer last year, I met three elderly sisters from Florida who were funny, friendly, eccentric, and loud. For whatever reason I nicknamed them the Pointer Sisters and became fast friends with the oldest one who pronounced me as her date and then proceeded to tell me her whole life story while we stared at the beautiful scenery from the comfort of our dome car.

Shortly before we pulled into Lake Louise, the guest services attendant received word from the front of the train that a bear had been spotted on the north side of the track. The Pointer Sisters and I scrambled over to the other side of the compartment to see if we could spot the majestic animal. Because we were in one of the last cars, it took a while to get up to the area the bear was last seen. Just as we were about to give up, she appeared in all her splendour.

This wasn’t just any bear though. It was a rare, white grizzly that people in Banff later told us was known as Nakoda. I recall saying to the Pointer Sisters that seeing a grizzly in the wild was extraordinary, but seeing a white one was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I almost started singing “I’m So Excited” but thought the better of it.

Sadly, I recently learned that Nakoda was killed by a car while crossing the Trans-Canada Highway in BC’s Yoho National Park. Even more disturbing was that her two cubs had also been killed by a vehicle just 24 hours earlier. Their deaths have sparked another call for government measures to protect more bears from becoming roadside carnage. The question is how?

Similarly, there are increasing calls by conservationists to implement stronger regulations to protect BC’s other iconic species – the Southern Resident killer whale – to ensure they aren’t dying needlessly given their status as threatened.

Following a series of new protective measures announced in June specifically for Southern Residents, the Government of Canada also launched an online national public survey on potential amendments to Marine Mammal Regulations to evaluate whether further rules might be needed.

This week, TIABC provided its response to the survey questions with a central message that while we strongly support safeguards for endangered species, more extreme protection measures should not necessarily apply for non-endangered species, particularly for whale watch operators who care deeply for the environment and invest profits and resources into education and sustainability initiatives to protect the marine eco-system.

In the survey, DFO asked for comments on whether the current approach distance (200 m) for all Pacific killer whales (except Southern Residents) should be amended?

Our recommendation stated that any amendments to the current approach distance of 200 metres should apply only to endangered Southern Resident killer whales (e.g. increase the approach distance), whose behaviour and look sets them apart from Bigg’s killer whales which are thriving and do not need the same level of protection.

We pointed out that in neighbouring Washington State, where BC whale watching companies also operate, a viewing distance of 1,000 yards will be applied on January 1st for Southern Residents, while a distance of 200 yards will be permitted for all other non-endangered species. Our recommendation was that we do the same in BC (albeit measured in metres). For sake of brevity, I’ll spare you the answers to the other questions but will share our brief with you in the coming weeks.

Suffice it to say, whale watching is a vital part of BC’s visitor economy and an incredible experience that well over 200,000 domestic and international tourists enjoy annually through the 14 BC-based Pacific Whale Watch Association members, as well as other operators. The sector supports over 1,000 jobs and generates some $132 million in annual economic activity.

Aside from the aforementioned investment and education, whale watching operators also play a critical role in informing recreational boaters, fishers and others on rules and regulations to help protect whales, especially the endangered Southern Residents.

In our submission, we emphasized that TIABC is keen to see a healthy balance between protecting the interests of professional whale watch operators (many of whom are our members) and the overall sector, as well as ensuring the health and protection of the marine environment which includes Southern Resident and other killer whales within BC waters.

We also stressed that a science-based, data-driven and common-sense approach is paramount to achieving palatable solutions for all stakeholders. Moreover, any future regulations should be consistent throughout BC and congruent with those in Washington State to ensure consistency, compliance, protection, and desired outcomes for both killer whales and the whale watching sector for the foreseeable future.

At the conclusion of the journey through the Rockies, I said farewell to the Pointer Sisters and made the oldest one promise to add another chapter to her life story and tell her friends where and when she saw her first white grizzly while on a date with a much younger man onboard the Rocky Mountaineer.

Walt Judas
CEO, TIABC