The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is proposing to more than double the distance vessels are allowed to approach endangered southern resident killer whales (SRKW).

The proposed changes to the Marine Mammal Regulations, outlined in the Canada Gazette over the weekend, increase the distance boats can approach the endangered mammals to 1,000 metres, up from 200 metres.

Temporary Transport Canada amendments to those regulations have increased the approach distance from 200 to 400 metres in recent years.

The changes are necessary because the government has determined the southern residents — three pods of orcas that frequent the waters off southern B.C. and Washington state and have been classified as endangered since 2001 — face imminent threats to their survival and recovery. There about 73 of the mammals now, down from a high of 96 in 1996, according to DFO.

“Recent studies document that human activities occurring in proximity to [southern resident killer whales], including physical and acoustic disturbances caused by vessels, disrupt SRKW life processes,” DFO said in its analysis outlining the proposed changes.

This is because southern resident orcas use echolocation — meaning the use of reflected sound — to communicate, hunt salmon and mate. Noise from vessels disrupts their ability to do this.

The ecotourism industry supports the proposed changes, according to Erin Gless, executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association. Its members include ecotourism businesses in both B.C. and Washington state.

“Professional whale watchers haven’t watched southern resident killer whales since 2019. So we don’t anticipate this impacting our businesses,” Gless said.

The changes would bring Canada into closer alignment with U.S. regulations, which limit the approach distance to southern resident orcas to 1,000 yards. This change would make it easier for both ecotourism operators and recreational boaters, Gless says.

“They’re crossing the border all the time and having different rules is confusing. So, we’ve actually really wanted consistent regulations for quite a while.”

The changes would only affect the endangered southern resident killer whales. The approach distance for other marine mammals, such as northern resident, transient and offshore killer whales, who are not facing the same imminent threat, would remain 200 metres.

The regulations currently prohibit disturbance from aircraft. The proposed changes would define the term “aircraft” to explicitly include drones.

The government has launched a 30-day consultation period on the proposed changes, which ends April 6.