Coast Guard uses old whale-hunting tactic to save WA orcas

With conservationist's guidance, the U.S. Coast Guard's Bellingham station is now testing out a technique once employed by hunters to corral whales and dolphins as a means of protecting these beloved apex predators.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Conservationists report only 73 Southern Resident Killer Whales still call the Salish Sea home. Concerned by the subtype's waning numbers and the rising risk of oil spills, a Coast Guard Lieutenant out of Bellingham reached out to local advocacy group, Orca Conservancy.

When a ship goes down and a sheen is seen on the surface, the Coast Guard is first on scene. Crews could build a perimeter and call for reinforcement, but they had no means of protecting pods from the polluted area.

With Orca Conservancy's guidance, Station Bellingham is now testing out a technique once employed by hunters to corral whales and dolphins as a means of protecting these beloved apex predators.

Rising risks in crowded waters

This summer, several oil slicks have been reported in the San Juan Islands, waters frequented by both transient and resident orcas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a stark warning that a single oil spill could have dire consequences for the Southern Residents, because they are such a small and social group.

"They’re very vulnerable," said Tamara Kelley with Orca Conservancy. "They already have a lot of things working against them that an oil spill could really be a great disaster to this community."

Kelley says a pod of killer whales that swam through the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 is almost extinct. She says oil exposure has long-lasting effects.

Surge in shipping traffic

Compounding the problem, Puget Sound is getting more crowded. Shipping traffic in the Strait of Juan de Fuca is expected to increase seven-fold over the next several years. Lt. Terrell Sisk with the U.S. Coast Guard says so far this summer he's only responded to spills caused by smaller private vessels, but he fears for the worst.

"I don’t want to be doom and gloom, worst case scenario, but sometimes we think about that," shared Lt. Sisk. "The tankers that go through these waters, the bigger ships that go through these waters, what happens if one of them has a bad day?"

NOAA reports there are more "mega vessels" on the water than ever before. The Washington State Department of Ecology estimates a single container barge can carry anywhere between 1.5 and 2 million gallons of oil.

Coast Guard's innovative approach

Looking to get more involved in his Bellingham community and protect local marine life, Lt. Sisk reached out to the Orca Conservancy. Kelley shared she was pleasantly surprised by his outreach. The two agencies, which have been collaborating on a plan since February, finally had the opportunity to test it out this summer.

"Pollution is going to be a risk at all times, so we’re getting ahead of it," said Lt. Sisk.

The Coast Guard has a few approved methods of chasing wildlife away, which includes hazing from helicopters and underwater fireworks.

"But the optics of throwing bombs towards endangered animals is not good, plus it can actually pose risk," said Kelley, "whereas the Oikomi pipes don’t really risk harming them, it's more of a nuisance disturbance, like nails on a chalk board."

Implementing the Oikomi pipes

First developed in Japan, Oikomi pipes or ‘banging pipes’ were originally used to harm marine life. If you hit one of them above water with a hammer, it creates a harsh chime, but under the water, the sound amplifies. Multiple boats hitting multiple pipes can create a wall of sound disruptive to these acoustic animals.

"They used them to corral dolphins into coves to harvest them or also sell them to marine parks," explained Kelley. "It's just a yucky sound that they will likely want to avoid."

Within the last decade, agencies like NOAA have supported using them to choo away orcas from spills, but this is the first for the Coast Guard, who are most often first on scene.

Lt. Sisk admits at first he was hesitant, but has since changed his tune.

"Its like striking a bell on a ship or a boat," explained Lt. Sisk. "It's quite painless putting a pipe on here, connecting it to the boat and hitting it with a hammer."

He and his crew have fastened a pipe to one of their vessels. On Wednesday, the admiral from Seattle came up to try out the tactic himself.

"The Admiral being here kind of just shows the support," said Lt. Sisk. "This is kind of a win-win all around that came together."

Kelley hopes they can continue to work alongside the Coast Guard with the goal of expanding this initiative to other bases in the region, providing comprehensive coverage across the Salish Sea and Washington State.