State looking for ways to reduce animal interactions in Monterey Bay
State and federal agencies are looking for ways to reduce the number of marine mammal interactions in Monterey Bay. There are a lot of animals close to shore feeding right now, and some of these disturbances could put their lives at risk.
On Wednesday, a group of kayakers were spotted getting a little too close to seals in Monterey Harbor. Scott Kathey, the enforcement and regulatory coordinator for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary calls violations against the Marine Mammal Protection Act “a death of a thousand cuts.”
“Your one interaction with them, which seems completely harmless to you,” Kathey explains, “When you multiply that by several hundred over a 3-4 month time span, then it adds up and it adds up very quickly and it can be devastating to them.”
Sea lions, sea otters and seals are all facing these stressful encounters.
“It’s impossible for them to get enough to eat and get enough rest,” marine mammal advocate Marge said. “And every time someone gets too close and causes them to grab their baby and dive under, it’s energy she doesn’t have to spare.”
The situation is now getting worse because of drones. A recent picture posted online shows a man flying a drone at Hopkins Beach near marine mammals.
“We have seen in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary some very practical examples of where drones have been operated very inappropriately over marine mammals and has flushed whole groups of marine mammals into the water by getting too close,” Kathey said. “And they should not be operating that close to these animals.”
Kathey points to a recent study that found bears’ heart rates increased by 400% when a drone flew nearby.
“If a drone can intimidate a bear,” Kathey said, “Then I’d say it’s pretty likely it can intimidate a small bird or a small seal or a sea lion, something like that.”
Kathey also showed News Channel 5 a map of the sanctuary where drones are regulated.Most of the coastlines has a three mile radius from shore. However, there are some spots near Monterey, Marina and Watsonville that aren’t included in the map. That’s because those areas are near airports and are controlled by the FAA, which has its own rules regarding drones.
Whether it’s in the air or on the water, some are calling for uniform regulations.
“The powers that be would come to an agreement that sets the minimum that NOAA says is 100 feet,” Marge said. I would use that and I would make all the kayak companies use that distance.”
The Marine Mammal Protection Act currently doesn’t recommend specific distances. The general rule of thumb regarding marine mammals – if you alter an animal’s behavior, even something as small as the animal looking at you, you are too close.
