Eco-coalition hails new measures to save the whales

New
measures will address threats of vessel noise, pollution, and a shortage of
chinook salmon, that the remaining 75 southern resident killer whales are
facing.

By Fabian Dawson
SeaWestNews

A coalition of six conservation groups is
hailing the efforts by the federal government to protect southern resident
killer whales with new sanctuaries, salmon fisheries closures and no-go zones
for whale watching boats.

The coalition said the new measures will address the threats of vessel noise, pollution and a shortage of chinook salmon, the remaining 75 southern resident killer whales, face.

Announcing the new measures, Jonathan
Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard said the federal
government has formally recognized that these whales face imminent threats to
survival and recovery.

“We understand that saving these iconic
mammals requires comprehensive and immediate action,” he said.

The new measures for 2019 include:

•           area-based
closures for recreational and commercial salmon fisheries in several key
foraging areas, and the pilot implementation of a voluntary bubble in the
vicinity of killer whales. The focus of prey-related initiatives is on ensuring
there is sufficient food for the Southern Resident killer whales to remain
healthy. Further, to increase the abundance of Chinook salmon, the primary prey
for these whales, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has committed to
releasing an additional 1 million juvenile Chinook annually from Chilliwack
Hatchery for five years to support Southern Resident killer whale recovery.
These particular Chinook stocks are important for Southern Resident Killer
Whales and are available in the whales’ critical habitat year-round.

•           In
partnership with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s ECHO program, commercial
vessels will be asked to slow down over a longer distance through Haro Strait
and Boundary Pass, starting as early as June 1. Inshore traffic will be asked
to transit further from shore in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. As of June 1,
vessels throughout the critical habitat of the Southern Resident killer whale,
including recreational boats and whale watching vessels, will be required to
stay at least 400 metres away from all killer whales, with exception for
commercial whale watching companies who have obtained authorization from the
Minister of Transport, who would be allowed to approach Transient killer whales
up to 200 metres. Vessels are also asked to reduce their speed to less than 7
knots if they are within 1,000 metres of killer whales in certain areas, and to
turn off their echo sounders and turn engines to neutral idle if a whale is
within 400 metres.

•           To
maximize protections in three key foraging areas, interim sanctuary zones will
be created off Pender Island, Saturna Island and at Swiftsure Bank. In addition
to fishery closures, no vessel traffic will be permitted in these areas from
June 1 to October 31, subject to certain exceptions for emergency and
Indigenous vessels.

The government also announced enhanced
regulatory controls for five key persistent organic pollutants (flame
retardants, oil and gas repellents) and the prohibition of two toxic flame
retardants, to further reduce contaminants affecting whales and their prey.

“Given the plight of 75 remaining Southern
Residents, these measures are a necessary step to help the endangered
population survive,” the coalition of six conservation groups said in a
statement.

“We will be following their rollout closely to ensure these measures are fully implemented with adequate monitoring and enforcement,” the group said.

The coalition comprising The David Suzuki
Foundation, Ecojustice, Georgia Strait Alliance, Natural Resources Defense
Council, Raincoast Conservation Foundation and WWF-Canada have been advocating
for urgent and concrete actions since January 2018 when they petitioned the
federal government to issue an emergency order under the Species At Risk Act.

Representatives of the environmental groups
addressed various issues around the new measures in a joint statement. Here is
what they said;

Chinook
salmon: Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director, Raincoast Conservation
Foundation:

“Chinook salmon are key to killer whale
recovery. DFO’s measures reduce competition with salmon fishing in some areas,
and will begin rebuilding the endangered Chinook runs the whales need to feed
on in the spring and early summer.”

Protecting
salmon foraging areas: Jeffery Young, Senior Science and Policy Analyst, David
Suzuki Foundation:

“Southern Resident orcas are in the Salish
Sea to find and eat Chinook salmon. These measures will help these whales get
the food they need to survive.”

Reducing
noise from large vessels: Hussein Alidina, Lead Specialist Ocean Conservation,
WWF Canada:

“The commercial vessel slowdown will help
reduce overall noise exposure to southern residents and make it more viable for
them to hunt salmon this year. We welcome this multi-year commitment by
industry and government in the conservation agreement to undertake slowdowns.
Significant and sustained reductions in noise levels from shipping will be
needed to aid in the recovery of these whales.”

Restrictions
on whale-watching: Michael Jasny, Director, Marine Mammal Protection, Natural
Resources Defense Council:

“Bringing back salmon is paramount. But the
restrictions on whale-watching announced today would give the whales the break
they need from a constant parade of boats that has made it hard for them to
feed.”

No-go
zones in feeding areas: Tessa Danelesko, Species Protection Coordinator,
Georgia Strait Alliance:

“Removing threats from areas where Southern
Resident killer whales frequent to find prey, by using foraging areas and no-go
zones, supports this endangered population by giving them the disturbance-free
conditions they need to find sufficient food to eat. These measures are a step
toward a healthier Salish Sea.”

Biodiversity
crisis and the law: Olivia French, lawyer, Ecojustice:

“The UN’s stark report on the world’s
biodiversity crisis, released earlier this week, made it clear that governments
around the world must take transformative action to prevent species collapse.
Southern Resident killer whales are among the one million species at risk of
extinction now. Ecojustice is encouraged by the suite of measures the federal
government introduced today, especially where those measures are legally
enforceable.” (image courtesy of Port of
Vancouver)

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