Ocean Sentry
(From news.com.au)- As A third white whale heads towards Queensland waters, the State Government has moved to give the rare mammals greater protection. Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation Minister Andrew McNamara has ordered wider exclusion zones and tougher fines to protect the rarest of the whale herd.
A $9000 penalty for getting too close to whales will be bumped up today to $12,375 for the white ones, including the famous 40-tonne Migaloo, first seen in 1991.
Under the new state rules governing white whales, people who bring a boat closer than 500m or an aircraft closer than 2000ft (about 600m) to the albinos face fines of up to $12,375, or $9000 for a non-white whale.
Boats must not come within 100m of the whales, while jet skis must stay at least 300m away. In the whale protection zones of Whitsunday, Lindeman and Gloucester islands, boats must keep a 300m distance.
