What boundary? What whale? Whose responsibility? - Governing Transboundary Waters: Canada, the United States, and Indigenous Communities - page 161

9 What boundary? What

whale? Whose responsibility?
The blurring of political and cultural
boundaries in marine governance

In July 2001 a lone juvenile orca was observed in a remote fjord called Nootka
Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The orca was a
curious sight. After more than 40 years of research, scientists have come to learn
that orcas are social creatures that stay with their families (or pods) for life. Even
when the animals are fully grown, they are not known to stray far from their
mothers. Why, then, was this juvenile whale in isolation? Why did the orca travel
200 miles away from his resident community in the Salish Sea to take up residence
in the traditional territory of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation in British
Columbia? To help answer these questions, numerous marine scientists travelled
to Nootka Sound to observe this orca, now identified as L98 by the scientific
community, or “Luna” to the general public . 1
Over the next 2 years, Luna became well known for his friendly behavior -
frolicking with boats, rubbing against the vessels, and even letting people touch
him. However, these remarkable characteristics also made people concerned for
Luna's safety and for the safety of others. Although many boaters and observers
found much joy in this friendly behavior, researchers and governmental employees
warned boaters that it was best to ignore Luna, as the more attention the whale
received from humans the less likely it was he would return to his pod. Some local
residents grew concerned, others angered, when Luna started to cause damage to
their boats.
As it became increasingly clear that Luna would not reunite with his pod
“naturally”, a transboundary effort to “save Luna” ensued. Scientists and govern-
ment officials in Canada corresponded with scientists and government officials in
the United States to come up with a plan to reunite the orca with his pod in
Washington State. This multijurisdictional issue required multi-agency coordin-
ation, which required significant cooperation financially and otherwise. A significant
financial contribution by Washington State in October 2003, which was matched
a few days later by the Canadian government, provided the extra push for the
coordinated move (McClure, 2003). In June 2004, after months of discussions, the
Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO ) 2 publicly launched the

relocation plan (see Figure 9.1) .
The DFO's plan was to lure Luna into a holding pen, close the gates, and then
transfer him by truck 200 miles to the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Luna