Wildlife: Who are the Eco-Terrorists?

April-May 1996

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Kathryn Gardner

Eco-terrorism -this is a jocular term sometimes used by us environmentally-conscious paddlers to describe the actions of those other people with nasty habits, habits that we deem to be bad for our environment. We scorn power boats, jet skis and cruise ships for their effects on wildlife and the environment while we paddle our sea kayaks, secure in the knowledge that we can observe and enjoy the marine life quietly, unobtrusively and with no impact. Right? Wrong!

"Studies have shown that kayaks can have a greater impact on marine mammals than sailboats, skiffs and other motorized vessels" says John Calambokidis, founder of Cascadia Research Collective located in Washington State. Calambokidis has been studying marine mammals and birds since 1976. He teaches a marine mammal biology course at Evergreen State College in Olympia. Among his published writings and research reports is the "Guide to Marine Mammals of Greater Puget Sound" co-authored with Richard Osborne.

Environmental impact is generally thought of as a negative effect on the environment and wildlife. Oil spills, dams, effluent wastes and fishing nets all cause very obvious problems. Larger ships have been known to unintentionally strike whales and have not even realized it until they return to the harbour. ("Pardon me, Captain, but do you know that you have a whale wrapped around your bow?") This situation seems ludicrous, as absurd as the idea that kayaks have a detrimental effect on marine mammals.

Cascadia Research Collective studied the effects that various vessels had on harbour seals in Puget Sound. Through observation at a distance, the researchers plotted the distance and speed of the different types of boats, recorded what the people on the boats were doing and compared this information to how and when the seals reacted.

Seals must haul out of the water in order to breed and rest. Unfortunately, they are slow and clumsy on land which makes them easy prey. For defence seals congregate in groups on large, flat, open spaces. The more eyes available to watch for potential risks, the safer the group. At the first sign of danger, the seals jump into the water where they are fast and agile.

Cascadia's study showed surprising results. Powered vessels could approach to 75 meters from a seal colony before disturbing any of its members. Approaching kayaks consistently scared the seals into the water at a distance of 150 meters or greater. When asked if the results were surprising, Calambokidis laughed as he recalled, "In Alaska, we did research from kayaks because we thought we'd cause less of a disturbance."

According to Calambokidis, there are many possible explanations for why kayaks have such a profound effect on seals. Due to centuries of seal hunting, the animals may have developed an instinctual fear of humans. A person in a kayak may appear more human than a person on a fishing boat, for example, and could be viewed as more of a threat.

Another explanation is that some sea-kayakers employ an "ambush" strategy for viewing wildlife. Paddlers may approach silently, sometimes hidden from view, then makes a sudden appearance with cameras aimed to shoot. The sudden, silent appearance of paddlers will startle the animals into the water. But even if the approach is made in plain view of the seals, a silent and stealthy approach may be viewed as a threat.

Finally, the motion of the paddle may be viewed as a threat. You can imagine that a human form, stealthily approaching with large appendages waving around in a seemingly threatening manner would give good cause for the seals to be afraid.

In contrast, the approach of a powered boat, with the noise of a droning engine alerts the seals much earlier. They can track the motion of the boat which obviously is not trying to sneak up on the colony. Larger boats do not have the frightening motion of the paddle nor can a human form be distinguished until the boat comes quite close to the colony.

Another explanation for kayakers' unintentional disturbance is their position low in the water. Paddlers' field of vision tends to be much closer to themselves than viewers higher up on a bigger boat. The result is that they don't see the animals that initially dive into the water and therefore don't realize the effects that they are having.

"Kayakers often do not stop their approach until the seals have entered the water", continues Calambokidis. "The paddlers don't realize that this disturbance has a negative effect on the seal's habits."

Fear of disturbing harbour seals does not mean that a paddler must not approach the colony. People must simply be more aware of their actions so they do not unintentionally disturb the seals. "Don't assume that because you are a kayaker you have no impact," cautions Calambokidis. Through his research, he found that many paddlers reacted indignantly when the researchers approached them with their observations. He went on to say that kayakers are generally a conscientious group of people who strive to prevent negative impact on the environment and wildlife. He believes that educating paddlers is the key to prevent harmful effects on the harbour seals.

For the paddler, preventing situations that are detrimental to seals and other marine life is relatively simple. Be conscious of your limited field of vision and try to spot a group of seals well before you paddle near them. Do not approach seals closer than 100 meters and stop further away if the colony shows signs of agitation or enters the water. Avoid "ambush-like" approaches. Give the colony ample warning of your presence. It may mean that you do not get that close up photograph that you were hoping for, but it will prevent unnecessary disturbances. After all, isn't that one of the reasons why we are paddling our kayaks?

Kathryn Gardner is a photographer and freelance writer living on Galiano Island.