In the July 16 article about the transfer of Springer the young orca whale, Michael Bennett made a comment about why some people objected to the move. (“Orca delivery done, skipper back in Everett”). He referred to how some blame the whale-watching groups themselves (such as Mosquito Fleet) for putting orcas in danger. Michael says he is part of the solution, not part of the problem. This is very true.
I have been fortunate to have been on several of Mosquito Fleet’s whale-watching excursions and I have nothing but the utmost respect and praise for Michael and Mosquito Fleet. He and his crew, which includes a wonderful naturalist, take extreme care to not disturb the orca in their natural habitat. The boat remains well away from the orca and keep the engines off whenever nearby. The boat is so quiet that we could even hear them communicating on the underwater microphone. Most of the other whale-watching boats also seemed to take care to not disturb the orcas.
They, as a group, police themselves so as to have as little effect on the orca population as possible. The good they do in educating the public as to the plight of these animals far outweighs any negative effect they might have. There is no question that Michael Bennett and Mosquito Fleet are part of the orca solution.
Lynnwood
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