Officials urge boaters to steer clear of 3 pregnant orcas

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington officials are requiring commercial whale-watching vessels to keep extra far from three pregnant orcas, in hopes of giving the endangered animals more space to feed and socialize. Following reports that the three whales in J pod, one of the groups that make up the Southern Resident killer whale population, are pregnant, the Department of Fish and Wildlife adopted an emergency rule Monday requiring commercial whale-watching boats to keep at least half a nautical mile away from them or any group of whales containing them. The orcas have a high rate of failed pregnancies, and officials are trying to give the whales the best chance of reproducing successfully.