B.C. man fined for running boat through killer whale pod

A British Columbia man who ran his boat through a pod of killer whales at full speed, either hitting or just missing one of the endangered animals, has been fined $3,500.

Xi Change Gao, of Sidney, was convicted in April after video showed the man's eight-metre crab-fishing vessel, the Vien Duong, tearing through the pod near South Pender Island.

"The video indicated that the Vien Duong appeared to collide, or very nearly collide, with a killer whale while continuing to manoeuvre around other members of the pod at full speed and in close proximity," a Department of Fisheries news release said.

The video was captured in an area where southern resident killer whales are often spotted.

There are only 87 animals left in that whale population, and they are listed as an endangered species by the federal government.

Xi was fined $3,000 in a provincial court for disturbing marine mammals and another $500 for a crab-fishing licence violation.

Xi's actions were completely contrary to whale protection laws and whale-watching etiquette.

Dan Kukat, president of Whale Watch Operators Association Northwest, said that type of incident is unusual. "I'm sure it was unintentional," he said of Xi's actions.

Most whale-watching groups in B.C. and Washington state have agreed to stay at least 400 metres from the animals.