There was a spill in one of the tributaries last summer. Lets shut down all fuel shipments into the Sound. Small boats leak a disproportionate amount of oil and gas. Lets shut down Shil Shoal marina (and the others). And those Military ships... We Don't need them!!
Its not hard do imagine what they might demand in two or 5 years.
But Orcas are so cuddly (gag) how could deny them this protection! Then the precedent is set, and every tiny tributary of even minor streams can be designated protected habitat if the local frog population drops (even if the countryside nearby is awash with frogs). Any sub-population will qualify. It then becomes not an Endangered Species act, but a Endangered INDIVIDUAL animal act.
Slippery Slope.
Yah, I understand, and you're right in that reason and logic play no role in any of this.
Nevermind that Puget Sound has been largely the same, in terms of Marina usage, military activity, and pretty much every other measure for the past sixty years. In fact, in years past there were many more ships moving in and out of Bremerton, for example.
Human activity just doesn't affect Orcas very much, and I'm sure this fact really annoys the greenies.