Whale hit by recreational boat in Puget Sound

HAT ISLAND-- A whale hit by a recreational boat near Hat Island on Sunday is thought to be OK.

A group of whale watchers on a nearby boat watched the whole incident happen.

A woman aboard the boat captured it on camera.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife said the owner of the boat is cooperating with investigators. They don't believe the strike was intentional.

Witnesses said they were shocked.

"There were lots of gasps, people couldn't believe what had just happened. It was unsettling to see. Of course everyone was upset," said whale watcher Bronwen Bradshaw-Balmos.

The investigation is now in the hands of the National Marine Fisheries Service. They will join WDFW in trying to track down the whale and check on it. Witnesses said it did not appear the whale was injured.

Ten or eleven gray whales come to Puget Sound every year.

More north, in the San Juan Islands, there is a discussion on a proposed whale protection zone for the endangered southern resident pod. A petition was launched in November asking NOAA fisheries to establish a protected zone, free of motorized boats.

Proposed whale watching protection zone.

At last count, there were 78 southern resident whales. That is down 20 percent from a number near 100 in the mid 1990's.