Captain Frank Brennan of the Dana Wharf Whale Watch uploaded a video of an endangered fin whale filmed from an unmanned drone on Monday raising questions about guidelines if drone whale watching becomes more popular, according to Grind TV.
Earlier this month, killer whales were seen swimming around kayakers by an quadcopter in Norway, Grind TV reported, but Brennan may be the first to have begun a new trend of gathering beautiful images and videos of endangered sea life as a business.
He flew the drone off Southern California after having trained for weeks before trying the drone out on Monday. The drone flew about 50 feet above the water, Grind TV reported.
Dana Wharf Whale Watch is a California-based whale-watching business and Brennan is the first to capture such footage by drone, and due to the high-demand of people who want to get a glimpse of the beautiful sea creatures, drone whale watching may become more popular, according to Grind TV.
The video raised questions about what regulations, if any, should be put into place if drone whale-watching becomes an increasingly popular business.
Currently, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggested guidelines ask boaters to keep 100 yards from whales and airplanes and helicopters must remain 1,000 feet above cetaceans, Grind TV reported.
There are currently no guidelines for smaller unmanned drones though NOAA and NMFS have hinted at addressing issues with drone whale-watching,
Endangered sea animals like whales, dolphins and sea lions are all under the protection of the Marine Mammal Protection Act which also states any type of harassment of marine life or influencing their behavior is also illegal, according to Grind TV.
A NOAA Fisheries spokeswoman said Wednesday guidelines "specific to the use of drones by the public to video/photograph marine mammals" will be addressed in upcoming meetings with NMFS officials and the public, Grind TV reported.
