Award Winning Environmental Music Videos
Trailer
Synopsis
Does whale watching protect or harm whales? This film explores recent controversies over whale watching, boat noise, and orca conservation in Washington State and British Columbia. Whale watching companies claim that they serve as "sentinels" protecting the orca from unwary recreational boaters, ferries, and ships. A number of local conservationists and scientists have argued that whale watching boats crowd and harass whales, while adding noise to the orca's immediate environment that makes it difficult for them to survive. The Pacific Whale Watch Association has hired lobbyists and brought suit against their local opponents. "Sentinels of Silence?" uses dramatic imagery, peer-reviewed science, and interviews with conservationists, scientists, and industry officials to bring to light a fascinating chapter in the orca conservation story.
Updates, Resources, and Action
In December, 2020, 4 months after the release of Sentinels of Silence? Whale Watching, Boat Noise, and the Orca, Washington State’s Fish and WIldlife’s Commercial Whale-Watching Licensing Program voted to license and restrict whale watching, increasing oversight and daily monitoring of commercial whale watching activities. For more information regarding the new rules and regulations, noise and the Southern Resident Killer Whales, as well as relevant research, literature, news, and websites, visit our film supplement page.
Click on the picture of the whale watchers and orca below to see policy updates, related scientific literature, and other resources…
