News Releases

The last week here on Nootka Sound has been discouraging as far as Luna is concerned. He has been damaging boats and other property. We have spoken to many sport fishers who say that he will be shot or harpooned. Those who don’t think he should be shot say the only place for him is an aquarium.

We like to think that there’s enough room here for both people and Luna while he is in Nootka Sound. But some people out on the water disagree. They believe that Luna’s threat to people and property is too great. This is the busiest time of the year in Nootka Sound; there are literally hundreds of sport fishers out there.

A few days ago we talked to some sport fishers who were tied up at a marina in Nootka Sound. We circulated some brochures we had made, asking sport fishers to help keep Luna alive. The guys we talked to were, overall, friendly, willing to talk, and non-confrontational. But they were clear: They are fed up with Luna. One visitor, whose 24-foot boat had been pushed around by Luna as he was attempting to dock, said, “If I have my family on board, and I fear for their safety, I know what I will do. Next time I come here, I will have a gun.”

Another guy said to us, after we had talked to him for about 20 minutes, “I respect what you two are doing, but I just don’t share the same values that you have for animals.” He talked about animals and humans, and the dividing line was pretty clear: if an animal threatens humans or property, you have to get rid of him. Or take him to an aquarium.

A few evenings ago we watched Luna from our Zodiac, Blackfish, as he played with a large commercial long-line fishing vessel in Hanna Channel. He was checking out their fishing line, and cosying up to the big red hull. He spent some time with his head under a stream of running water coming out of the side of the vessel. Later, one of the fishermen on board said that Luna had been checking out their catch as they reeled it in; apparently, there were some teeth-marks on the dogfish, but he didn’t eat the bycatch that they tossed overboard. The crew on this vessel were friendly, curious, and amazed by Luna.

Three times Luna broke off from the fishing vessel, swam all the way over to Blackfish, and pushed us away, rather strongly. We don’t know what he was trying to do: Was he pushing us to get us away from his fun? Was he inviting us to join in his fun? We don’t know, but one thing’s clear: He’s a strong boy and his actions could be pretty scary for someone who doesn’t know or trust him. We are stable in a 17-foot Zodiac, and we wear life preservers, and we have never been scared when Luna has approached us. But some of the tiny aluminum skiffs out there look like you could tip them with four fingers.

The big fishing vessel was headed directly toward a very popular fishing spot called Camel Rock, where there were literally dozens of small fishing boats, trolling slowly through the water in the evening sun. This was like a candy shop for Luna. Very fortunately, he was more fixated on the commercial fishing vessel. That’s much safer for him than to be pushing around a small aluminum skiff, or a sport fishing boats whose operator is packing a gun. Luna spent almost three hours with the longliner as it moved along slowly, picking up the fishing line from the water.

As the vessel moved slowly through the boat-laden waters, we approached some fisherman and mentioned that Luna was in the vicinity. One guys was friendly and said, “Thanks for letting me know.” Another man said, “I know what to do with that [expletive] -- I’ve got a gun.” And another guy made the motion of a gunshot. Later we talked to someone else who said a harpoon may be used to deal with him. We have heard that there’s talk of a cyanide-infused salmon technique.

One thing needs to be clear: Luna loves approaching boats. This cannot be disputed. He will go to boats whose occupants aren’t attempting to attract him; he will go to boats with no sonar. Big ships, barges, small boats, slow-moving tugs, small aluminum boats, Zodiacs, wooden canoes, or little steel boom boats -- he’ll approach them all.

We have certainly observed him when he’ll spend a whole day by himself, just being a wild whale, and that’s a wonderful thing to see. But when he wants to interact with a boat, he’ll do it. And these days, now that more people are afraid of him and fewer people stop to play, he is the one making the decision. This reality cannot be ignored.

This should not be surprising to anyone: an orca is a very social animal. Why would we expect Luna not to want -- even need -- social interaction? Certainly it would be preferable if he interacted with other whales, and we hope that the day will soon come when his pod swims by and picks him up. But until he is with other whales, we believe he will continue to approach boats, and we believe that puts him in danger.

The First Nations stewards are out on the water, but DFO has told them that they are not to interact with the whale, which means they are not allowed to approach him to disengage him from other vessels. The DFO Zodiac, Rugged Point, has been on the water periodically, but they can’t be there all the time. The newly-deployed rapid response Coast Guard crew members have told a marina owner that taking care of Luna isn’t their responsibility.

We believe Luna needs help now. We think he needs a whole new approach.