Dear Editor:
The Orcas in Puget Sound are in trouble
We’ve been hearing this for years
No one wants to see them die
And people are shedding tears.
But there are millions of people living there
And probably millions of cars there in motion
All pumping some kind of pollution
Out into the waters of the Puget Sound Ocean.
Then there’s the farming, the logging and the mills
They each contribute their own little dent
That make the waters of the Salish Sea
Not too pristine of an environment!
And then there are the whale watching tours
That follow these whales all over the place
But it must be distracting to all of the Orcas
To put a smile on all the tourist’s face!
And there’s dams on all of the rivers
And Sea World has captured another bunch
And maybe there’s been too much inbreeding
Scientists say that would be their hunch!
Then there are ships coming into the ports
Making noises- I’m sure Orcas can detect them
All these strikes against the whales…
I’m sure it all has got to affect them!
Maybe they’ll have to move or won’t make it
Maybe that’s just where we’re at
Maybe an orca just can’t live there anymore
If they have destroyed all their habitat!
But instead of looking at these local issues
That are as obvious as the light of day
These do gooders are pointing their fingers at Alaskan Trollers
That work over 600 miles away!
This lawsuit to shut us down
It’s become one of Alaska’s worst fears
A hook and line fishery that started Southeast
And has existed for more than 100 years!
They say that Orcas mainly eat king salmon
That’s where the Orcas and the trollers are linked
And if we don’t stop catching king salmon in Alaska
The Salish Sea Orcas might just become extinct.
But most of the Kings that Alaskan trollers catch
The scientists now all have found
Come from other places in the Northwest
And not even from Puget Sound!
I’d like to believe there’s a level playing field
And I want to try and not hold a grudge
But how fair is it that our region’s existence
Rests on the opinion of one Washington State Judge?
So stand up for the Alaskan Trollers
And don’t believe any of this down south feces…
Otherwise Alaskan fishermen might just be
The next listing as an endangered species!
Doug Rhodes, Craig, Alaska
