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
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.