Tourists disturbing killer whales
Killer whales are effectively having to “shout” to make each other heard above the noise created by tourist boats, according to a report in today’s Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper reports that, with whale-watching becoming an ever-more popular pastime for tourists, the animals are having to increase the length of their calls so they can hear each other over the engine noise made by motor boats.
A study by Durham University, carried out in waters of the US’s Washington State, found that as the number of boats increased during the 1990s, the whales increased the length of the calls; there was no such increase recorded between 1989 and 1992, during which time whale-watching did not increase in popularity.
Dr Rus Hoelzel, who headed up the study, is quoted as saying: “The first official whale-watching boat began about 20 years ago but over the last 10 years the numbers have increased dramatically. There are now more than 70 registered commercial boats, an average of 22 following the whales in daylight.”
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Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
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