Whale boats under investigation by department
Residents have raised their concerns about boat-based whale operators entering an off-limits part of the Walker Bay Sanctuary.
According to one of the residents who wish to remain anonymous, three whaleboats from Hermanus have been identified entering a zone they are not allowed to operate in. A small part of the coast situated between De Kelders and Gansbaai is off-limits to boat-based whale operators.
“I, along with many of the residents and businesses in De Kelders and Gansbaai, have been addressing this issue with two of the Hermanus boats in particular for many years,” says the resident. “This is not a once-off incident or something new.”
They are also concerned that the boats in question approach whales in a manner that they are not allowed to do.
Evelyn Pepler, chairperson of the South African Boat Based Whale Watching Association (SABBWWA) told Hermanus Times that the correct authorities at the Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries (Deff) are currently investigating these allegations.
She explained that every permitted whale watching vessel has a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) on board, which is monitored by the Deff. In this way, the department is able to observe each vessel and the proximity to the Marine Protected areas.
“It is also able to see if the vessels are all clustering together. The data cannot be altered in any way by the operators, for this is live tracking.”
For example, explains Pepler, each operator is able to monitor the exact location and speed of vessels on any date and time going back years or months.
“This is a permit condition, the various VMS suppliers are required to link into Deff’s system in accordance with the permit conditions. All the boat-based whale watching operators are monitored by this system, so transgressions, where vessels have entered closed areas, can be picked up on by the authorities.”
Pepler adds that the VMS places the vessels only in the locations, and it is unable to show if there were any whales in the area at the time.
At the time of going to print, Deff had not responded to queries from Hermanus Times about the status of the investigation but indicated it would do so within the week.
The resident provided photos of three boats and said that according to the conditions of boat-based whale watching permits, only one boat from Hermanus is allowed in the De Kelders waters at a time, not three.”
But Pepler says to proceed with the complaints it is essential to have some form of proof. “Unfortunately there is not much to work with in terms of photo evidence.”
Another concern from the resident is that over the last few years behaviour of whales in Walker Bay had changed because of the boats. Pepler strongly denies this. She adds that all over the world massive changes in migration patterns, numbers and species have been observed. Why this is, and what is causing it, can be speculated only by scientists.
Hermanus Times requested comment from the three boats in question. All three owners responded, stating they are aware of the allegations and will address the matter through appropriate channels.