Campbell River, B.C. whale-watching guide fined $10K for orca encounter
A whale-watching guide on Vancouver Island has been fined thousands of dollars for getting too close to a pod of orcas.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says the incident took place on May 27, 2019, near Willow Point – just south of Campbell River, B.C.
The DFO says that Nickalaus Templeman, a guide working for Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions, was witnessed by two other whale-watching guides illegally approaching a killer whale pod in the area.
Under the federal Fisheries Act, whale-watching vessels are prohibited from being within 200 metres of an orca in B.C. waters. The DFO says that Templeman was seen moving to within 35 metres to the orcas and encircling them.
"Mr. Templeman acknowledged over the VHF radio that he was aware of the presence of the whale pod," said the DFO in a release Thursday.
"However, he continued to travel in their direction and positioned his vessel in a way to ensure that the whales would have to pass him in close proximity."
The incident was reported by other whale watching guides and a conservation officer who was called to the scene to assess the situation, according to the DFO.
"There were six to seven commercial whale watching vessels in the area of the incident who subsequently provided witness statements, as did several of the tourists who were on board," said the DFO.
"These witnesses also provided significant amounts of photos and video statements."
In September, Tempeleman was found guilty of the violations in provincial court and was fined $10,000 for the incident. He was served a $5,000 fine under the Species At Risk act, and another $5,000 through the federal Fisheries Act.
The money collected from the fines will go towards "conservation and protection of marine mammals in the waters off British Columbia," according to the DFO.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.