Wildlife researchers are proposing the creation of a unique, miniature conservation zone encompassing a key feeding area for a critically endangered population of killer whales near Vancouver Island.

The international team of scientists, includingUniversity of British Columbia biologist Rob Williams and colleagues from Britain and the United States, spent four months in the summer of 2006 painstakingly monitoring the movements of a three-pod population of killer whales in waters off B.C. and Washington state that numbers just 87 individuals -- so few that every animal has been identified from distinctive markings.

The researchers found the whales were about three times more likely to feast on Chinook salmon -- their preferred meal -- in a narrow coastal strip south of Washington's San Juan Island than anywhere else in their summer range.

In an article published in the latest issue of the journal Animal Conservation, the scientists propose strict protections for this whale-dining "hot spot," arguing that the no-go zone is small enough to establish a practical system for diverting boat traffic but

large enough to guarantee the whales unfettered feeding.

"Protecting even small patches of water can provide conservation benefits, as long as we choose the spots wisely," said lead researcher Erin Ashe, a biologist at Scotland's University of St Andrews, in a summary of the study.

Ms. Ashe and Mr. Williams said a sanctuary created in 1982 at the north end of Vancouver Island-- the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve -- has successfully protected an area where killer whales in a different population gather to rub their bodies on pebbled beaches.

The proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA) near San Juan Island -- a rectangular zone measuring about two kilometres by 12 kilometres -- would be the first reserve designed specifically to prevent human disturbance of a killer whale feeding ground.

The research team noted that creating a quiet environment is particularly important because the animals' behaviour is more affected by boat traffic while hunting prey than when moving along travel corridors or engaging in other activities.

"MPAs are valuable tools for conservation, but they are not our only tool," Ms. Ashe and Mr. Williams said, emphasizing the proposed exclusion zone for boats would be set within a broader area in the U.S.-Canada boundary waters that is already designated as a conservation area for killer whales.

"A smaller conservation area that is well-placed, effectively managed and has good compliance from boaters might offer additional protection within the broader critical habitat," they said.

The researchers acknowledged that tighter restrictions on human activity in an area popular for whale-watching and recreational boating could be contentious.

"The candidate no-go zone identified in our study is currently used for ecotourism, commercial and recreational fishing, marine transportation and research, and is adjacent to international shipping lanes," they said.

"For an MPA to be successful, there has to be broad, local support, and we hope that that can be achieved here ... There will be controversy, of course, but ... there is overwhelming support for killer whale conservation in the region."



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