SEATTLE, Wash. — A new U.S. lawsuit filed Monday seeks to establish a whale protection zone for endangered orcas in the Pacific Northwest.
The Center for Biological Diversity and the Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance sued NOAA Fisheries saying the agency has failed to act on a petition it filed in 2016.
The petition sought to bar vessels from a 10- to 12-square-mile area west of San Juan Island where the orcas feed from April through September.
Canada has announced that no vessel traffic will be allowed from June through October in three sanctuary zones, and Washington has adopted new restrictions requiring boats to keep at least 300 yards away from orcas.