Step-by-step explanation:

We can use trigonometry to solve the problem. The angle of depression of the whale is 7º, which means that the line of sight from the observation tower to the whale makes an angle of 7º below the horizontal line.

Let x be the distance from the whale to the shoreline. Then, we can use the tangent function:

tan 7º = x / 200

Solving for x, we get:

x = 200 tan 7º

Using a calculator, we get:

x ≈ 24.42 feet

So the whale is about 24.42 feet from the shoreline.