That's One Big Fine

Whale tours feeling squeezed by US rules - The Boston Globe: "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, recently fined vessel captain Sean Baker $3,500 for ''failing to comply with right whale avoidance measures by coming within 500 yards of a right whale, and failing to immediately leave the area' in an incident off Cape Cod two years ago."

That's a huge amount to be fined, just for not staying far enough away from a whale. The need to protect them is understood since right whales are on the verge of extinction, however, how reasonable is the distance and fine for protecting the whales?

Wouldn't it be ok to carefully maneuver to within the 500 yards (which is about the length of an average par-5 golf hole)? Of course it could be done, and could be done without endangering the well-being of the whale. This issue hits the Federal courts in November.

Gary Schmidt