Woman Fined $100 for Petting Whale

Tuesday, May 20, 2003
A woman caught petting a lone whale by an RCMP officer was fined $100 for disturbing a marine mammal Tuesday.

Sandra Lynne Bohn pleaded guilty to the charge in provincial court in Gold River.

Bohn touched the whale at the Gold River wharf in Nootka Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, last February.

The young orca, known as L98 to scientists and known as Luna by the public, became separated from his pod and took up residence in Nootka Sound.

Scientists believe the whale was in danger of becoming socialized to humans.

The federal fisheries department said the whale's habit of approaching people increased in direct proportion to the amount of attention he got.

It warned this kind of contact can put both people and the whale at risk.

The maximum fine for disturbing a marine mammal is $100,000.

The judge who determined Bohn's fine said next time someone is convicted of a similar crime, the penalty will be much stiffer.