Washington state moves to protect endangered killer whales
Source: Associated Press
Washington state moves to protect endangered killer whales
By PHUONG LE
Today
SEATTLE (AP) — With the number of endangered orcas that frequent the inland waters of Washington state at a 30-year low, Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday directed state agencies to take immediate and longer-term steps to protect the struggling killer whales.
The fish-eating mammals that spend time in Puget Sound have struggled for years with a lack of food, pollution, noise and disturbances from boat traffic. There are now just 76 of the orcas, down from 98 in 1995.
Inslee said the orcas are in trouble and called on everyone in the state to do their part. His executive order aims to make more salmon available to the whales, give them more space and quieter waters, ensure they have clean water to swim in and protect them from potential oil spills.
“The destiny of salmon and orca and we humans are intertwined,” the governor said at a news conference at the Daybreak Star Cultural Center in Seattle. “As the orca go, so go we.”
An orca task force forming now will meet for the first time next month and will come up with final recommendations by November.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/192e2fc42f9241059f335e2732659710/Washington-state-moves-to-protect-endangered-killer-whales
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