Residents concerned that boats and personal watercraft may have floated too close to a pod of orcas in Dyes Inlet June 12 called 911 to report the potential problem. The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is advising folks to leave the animals alone.

“If the whales come in, leave them alone,” Deputy Scott Wilson with KCSO said, and do not interfere with their movement.

KCSO advised the military and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service of the issue and asked them to send patrol boats to investigate.

According to the Department of Fisheries and Wildflife, state regulations make it unlawful to:

• Approach within 200 yards of a southern resident whale;

• Position a vessel to be in the path of a southern resident whale at any point located within 400 yards of the whale. This includes intercepting a southern resident whale by positioning a vessel so that the prevailing wind or water current carries the vessel into the path of the whale at any point located within 400 yards of the whale. Vessels are defined as including aircraft, canoes, fishing vessels, kayaks, personal watercraft, rafts, recreational vessels, tour boats, whale watching boats, vessels engaged in whale watching activities, or other small craft including power boats and sailboats;

• Fail to disengage the transmission of a vessel that is within 200 yards of a southern resident whale; or

• Feed a southern resident whale.