A group of Vancouver Island whale watchers is calling for stricter whale-watching regulations in B.C., saying crowded fleets, persistent pursuits and engine noise are causing the “harassment” of whales in the Salish Sea.

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Whale-watching is a major draw for B.C. tourists, but the Vancouver Island Whale Society says the industry needs tougher rules to ensure the marine mammals aren’t paying the price.

“We feel the scale of the whale-watching industry in the Salish Sea has reached the point where some things need changing and addressing,” said co-founder Will Guarasci, a University of B.C. Okanagan student studying conservation biology, who said he and his members have witnessed as many as 15 vessels surrounding a group of whales in one instance.

The group has launched a petition, which has collected more than 8,000 signatures, calling on the federal government to prohibit whale-watching vessels from intentionally seeking out endangered southern resident killer whales and all whales travelling with calves.

The petition calls for a temporary suspension on the viewing of grey whales, a population experiencing record mortality with more than 180 carcasses washing up along the Pacific Coast, from Mexico to Alaska this year.

Current regulations require whale-watching vessels to be at least 100 metres from grey whales, but “given the state of their population, this is a really alarming practice because we know how much they’re struggling and they need all the help they can get,” said Guarasci.

On Oct. 18, a humpback whale was struck by a B.C. Ferries vessel travelling between Horseshoe Bay and the Sunshine Coast. The whale was found dead floating in Howe Sound earlier this week. Earlier this spring, a grey whale was hit by a Jet Ski in English Bay near Siwash Rock. It survived.

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The group wants a standardized minimum approach distance for all whales of 400 metres — up from 100 to 200 metres depending on the type of whale — while retaining the 1,000-metre distance for southern residents.

The group also wants the whale-watching industry to limit the number of vessels surrounding a whale to four at a time, establish a mandatory two-hour daily period when whales are undisturbed and ban guaranteed sightings, which offer customers who didn’t spot a whale a free return tour.

“It leads to a massive accumulation of these vessels, especially when there’s not a lot of whales in the waters that day,” Guarasci said.

The industry is an important part of B.C.’s tourism economy, generating $132 million in value and welcoming more than 200,000 visitors annually, according to a 2024 report from consulting firm Martin Associates.

“The Salish Sea is already home to some of the most comprehensive whale-focused regulations in the world,” said Mark Peterson, spokesman for the Pacific Whale Watch Association that represents 28 whale-watching companies, including 12 in B.C.

He said members don’t focus on southern resident killer whales. Its website explicitly states customers shouldn’t expect to see the endangered mammals from their members’ vessels. Instead, the companies focus primarily on Bigg’s killer whales and humpback whales whose populations are thriving in coastal waters.

They do encounter grey whales, especially in the spring as they migrate from Mexico to Alaska, said Peterson, but if operators encounter them they share sightings and photographs with local researchers to help monitor the whales’ behaviour and body condition. They also alert nearby ferries, cargo ships, tankers and other recreational vessels to their presence to help keep them safe.

Peterson said whale-watching companies are an easy target compared with other vessels, such as ferries and freighters, that pose a greater threat to whales, but insists the companies are dedicated to responsible wildlife viewing, as well as education and conservation.

According to the association’s 2025 report, members intervened more than 1,400 times while on the water, including warning other boaters and vessels about nearby whales. In most cases, the warnings prompted the vessels to stop, slow down or change course. The companies also help remove marine debris, report injured or entangled wildlife, and help boaters in distress, it said.

Peterson said some of the items mentioned in the petition are already in place, such as requiring ecotype identification of killer whales before approach or designating daily quiet periods, which he said whales already get in the nighttime. Whales have different rest and activity patterns from humans, and some species hunt and forage at night.

Aside from the petition, Guarasci is also advocating for a new way to watch whales: From land. A land-based whale watching group he helped start has close to 200 members.

“Seeing whales is a wonderful privilege when you’re watching from land,” he said. “It’s their choice and their decision to be in a space where you can view them … and we’re not going out of the way to track them or anything that would cause a disturbance to them.”

chchan@postmedia.com