LOCATION: Southern British Columbia waters, Pacific Coast
Issue/Source: Protection of Endangered Marine Mammal
Date: May 2025
Suggested Responses
- Transport Canada is supporting federal efforts to mitigate the impacts of key threats to the endangered Southern Resident killer whales.
- The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of protecting this endangered species while enabling the major projects needed to support Canada’s economic growth.
- As part of its mandate to promote an environmentally responsible transportation system, the Department has put in place a suite of protection measures through the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 Interim Order powers every year since 2019.
- These Interim Orders establish mandatory approach distances, the prohibition on impeding the path of a killer whale, as well as vessel and speed restricted zones.
- These measures aim to address vessel-related impacts, particularly acoustic and physical disturbances, and represent a $199 million investment since 2018 for Transport Canada alone.
- Transport Canada also supports the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s successful Enhancing Cetacean and Observation Program to better understand and address the impacts of the Port’s large commercial shipping traffic on these endangered whales.
- The Department also works collaboratively with Indigenous and coastal communities, environmental organizations, industry, and other stakeholders to assess the measures put in place each year to reduce underwater noise from vessels, and to refine our approach for upcoming seasons as needed.
IF PRESSED
- The Government of Canada is leveraging strong international, regional and local partnerships to help reduce the risks that vessel traffic poses to the Southern Resident population and to the Salish Sea ecosystem while balancing our commitment to safety, security and strong coastal communities.
- Transport Canada has also taken a leadership role at the International Maritime Organization to advance quiet ship design and is recognized as an international leader for its efforts on reducing the threats of physical and acoustic disturbance on at risk whale species.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- Investments to support recovery of endangered whale populations – including Southern Residents - since 2018 include $167.4 million (M) under the Whales Initiative and an additional $61.5M in funding over five years (2019-2024) to specifically address human-induced threats to Southern Residents. The Whales Initiative was renewed in 2023 for an additional $151.9M over 3 years and will be sunset in March 2026.
- Measures for the protection and recovery of priority at-risk whales involve Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada, Transport Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, in accordance with their mandates and authorities, and aligned recovery strategies for the species established under the Species at Risk Act.
- The Southern Resident killer whale is a vital component of the local marine ecosystem and has significant cultural importance for Indigenous Groups and coastal communities in British Columbia.
- With only 74 remaining as of April 2025, the Southern Resident killer whale is facing imminent threats to their survival and recovery. Acoustic and physical disturbance from vessels is one of the three key threats to species recovery. Lack of prey availability and contaminants are the other two threats, which are being addressed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, respectively.
- The Southern Resident killer whale critical habitat overlaps with shipping lanes that approach the Ports of Vancouver, Seattle, Victoria, Nanaimo, as well as other smaller Canadian and United States ports and harbours. Expanding trade and growing the Canadian economy through maritime shipping needs to be sustainably enabled through environmental efforts, and the Whales Initiative is a key piece to this growth.
- Transport Canada, in collaboration with the marine industry, academia, Indigenous groups, environmental organizations, other government departments, the United States and various State Departments, and the broader international community, is assessing, testing and implementing measures to reduce the physical and acoustic impacts of vessel traffic on at-risk whale populations, in particular the Southern Resident killer whale. These measures are adaptively managed to account for the latest scientific data, as well as Indigenous community feedback and recommendations, whale presence, vessel traffic patterns and noise modelling.
- Science continues to demonstrate the harmful impacts of vessels with respect to acoustic and physical disturbance on Southern Resident killer whale. Data is being collected on noise levels in Southern Resident killer whale habitat and further research on whale presence, as well as the correlation between vessel speed and vessel presence on the behaviour of these whales is ongoing.
- Transport Canada’s underwater listening station at Boundary Pass, located below the shipping lanes of the Port of Vancouver, supports the protection and recovery of Canada’s endangered whale populations through research and monitoring. The observation station measures and records underwater noise emissions from 4,000-5,000 commercial vessel transits per year, contributing to the world’s largest known, non-military ship noise database. This scientific data increases understanding of how specific vessel types and characteristics contribute to underwater noise and assists in advancing research and development of quiet vessel technologies.
- Since 2019, with collaboration of Indigenous Groups, and key marine stakeholders, a suite of voluntary and mandatory measures have been put in place to reduce vessel impacts from both large commercial vessels and smaller recreational and whale watching vessels (through mandatory annual interim orders under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001).
- For the 2025 season, Transport Canada has again issued an Interim Order under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001,that establishes:
- a mandatory increased 400 metre approach distance and prohibition on impeding the path of a killer whale is in place for all vessels in waters between Campbell River and Ucluelet, from June 1 2025 to May 31 2026;
- two Vessel Restricted Zones are in effect from June 1 to November 30, 2025 and prohibit vessel traffic in areas off of Pender and Saturna Islands; and
- two Speed Restricted Zones are in effect from June 1 to November 30, 2025 at Swiftsure Bank, requiring all vessels to have a maximum speed of 10 knots through this important foraging ground for the Southern Resident killer whale.
- Whale-watching and eco-tourism companies continue to have the option to apply for an authorization to approach non-Southern Resident killer whales to a distance of 200 metres, as established by the Marine Mammal Regulations, if they have been authorized by the Minister of Transport. This authorization includes commitments and conditions from the companies to not follow, offer or promote tours of Southern Residents.
- The suite of management measures is jointly enforced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Transport Canada, Parks Canada Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Transport Canada is responsible for verifying compliance under the Interim Order. Since 2019, there have been 180 Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) issued, totaling $243,724 and 691 Warning Letters have been issued and delivered.
- The Government of Canada works closely with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority led Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation Program to manage and understand the impacts of large commercial vessel activity on at-risk whales and develop mitigation measures to reduce acoustic impacts to whales from large commercial vessels. The 2025 season’s measures consist of the voluntary slowdown of large commercial vessels in Haro Strait, Boundary Pass and Swiftsure Bank, and a route alteration for tugs in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
- The Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation program conducts world-leading research and coordinates voluntary threat reduction initiatives encouraging ship operators to slow down or stay distanced while travelling through key areas of Southern Resident killer whale habitat. Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation engages with the marine transportation industry, Indigenous communities and environmental groups, and acts as a technical resource to support departmental efforts to advance the development of underwater noise guidelines at the IMO.
- Canada is currently working with Panama to bring together like-minded countries to become signatories to a High Ambition Coalition on Quiet Oceans to pursue more ambitious efforts to reduce underwater vessel noise in areas such as that inhabited by the Southern Resident killer whale. Canada is also leading international efforts at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce underwater vessel noise at the source, which is an important consideration for long-term change.