One of the greatest privileges of boating is witnessing the incredible wildlife that calls the Salish Sea home.
However, as boaters we must be mindful that our watercraft can cause:
- Whales to experience vessel strike risk, stress, and interruptions to feeding, mating, socializing, resting, and calf nurturing.
- Other marine mammals including seals, sea lions, and otters to be negatively impacted as they become habituated to boats, suffer vessel-related injuries, and alter their natural patterns.
- Birds to abandon their nests and young, and can disrupt feeding or other behaviour critical to survival.
- Damage to sensitive habits such as estuaries, enclosed bays and narrow channels, eelgrass and kelp beds, and shellfish areas.
- The unintentional spread of aquatic invasive species (on hulls, shoes or paddles) which can disrupt the existing balance of ecosystems and out-compete native species.
For more tips on how to minimize our disruption while boating, browse our Guide to Green Boating.
