Man seen ‘speeding toward’ dolphins in B.C. waters fined $5,000

PORT HARDY — A man seen speeding on a Jet Ski towards a pod of Pacific white sided dolphins has been fined $5,000 and has been banned from posting anything related to marine mammals on social media.

The man was found guilty last November in B.C. provincial court for violating marine mammal regulations after his trial heard he raced towards the pod and came within metres of them while filming on his cellphone.

Witnesses said the man, who was in the waters near Port McNeill off northeastern Vancouver Island in August 2022, was much closer than the 100-metre legal distance required to stay away from dolphins.

The Fisheries Department says in a statement released Thursday that the court ruled in a decision last month that the man’s actions were “negligent and reckless.”

In addition to the fine and not posting about marine mammals on social media six months, he also faces a six-month prohibition from operating any motorized vessel on water.

The department says the case is the first successful prosecution in Canada under Marine Mammal Regulations over distance provisions keeping vessels away from marine wildlife.

The statement says dolphins and killer whales relying on echolocating to navigate their environment and close encounters with a vessels can disrupt their natural behaviour and interfere with signals they use to forage and socialize.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.