Transcript
[Narrator]
The southern coast of British Columbia is home to one of the world's most vibrant and productive coastal ecosystems, sustaining a wide range of marine life, including the endangered Southern resident killer whale as an apex predator. The Southern resident killer whale is a vital part of the Salish Sea marine ecosystem. It is an icon of the Pacific Coast and is profoundly significant to indigenous and coastal communities in British Columbia.
Between 1962 and 1974, 68 killer whales were taken from the Salish Sea, 47 of which are known or assumed to be Southern residents. Surviving whales were transported to aquariums and theme parks throughout Canada and the United States. Southern residents, along with over a dozen transients. Ultimately, this reduced the Southern resident population by roughly 40% due to changing attitudes and environmental advocacy.
The Southern resident killer whale population seemed to rebound in the 1980s and nineties, growing to around 98. But in the decades since, despite efforts, the population has significantly decreased to its present population of no more than 75 as of January 2024. Southern resident killer whales were listed as endangered under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in 2003.
[Kendra Moore – Acting Regional Manager, Marine Mammals, Fisheries and Oceans Canada]
Under the imminent threat assessment finding through the Species at Risk Act identified that Southern resident killer whales were facing imminent threats to their survival and recovery, and that intervention or immediate action needed to happen to correct that population trajectory and support their survival and recovery going forward.
[Narrator]
Southern resident killer whales can be found from Alaska to California, but in Canada, their critical habitat includes the waters between Vancouver and Victoria and off the west coast of Vancouver Island. They are picky eaters, feeding primarily on Chinook salmon and use echolocation clicks and vocalizations to communicate, navigate, hunt and socialize. But the Salish Sea is a busy area for boating, fishing, whale watching ferries and commercial vessels.
Vessel traffic in the region is a stressor for the species due to the increased underwater noise and the potential for vessel strikes their prey. Pacific salmon have declined in recent years due to climate change, habitat loss and fishing pressure, reducing the amount of food available and adding more stress to the survival of the Southern resident killer whale. It's these stressors that have prompted the Government of Canada to take action to help protect this iconic species and launch the Whales initiative.
[Kendra Moore]
The Whales initiative was announced in 2018 and it identified $167.4 million over five years to help restore Marine ecosystems and support endangered whale species like Southern resident killer whales.
[Narrator]
In addition to the $167.4 million allocated through the first Whales Initiative, an additional $61.5 million was announced in 2018, specifically to support new measures Since then, in Budget 2023, the Government has committed $151.9 million to continue to protect endangered whales and their habitats as part of the initiative and to support prey availability for the Southern resident killer whales.
Fisheries and Oceans. Canada has put seasonal fishery closures in place in key foraging areas within their critical habitat. Under the powers of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, Transport Canada has issued interim orders which create sanctuary zones and speed restricted zones.
[Maxine Bilodeau – Director, Whales Protection Policy, Transport Canada]
The 2023 measures implemented through the interim order for the southern Resident killer whales included a minimum 400 meter distance from all killer whales, including not impeding the path of a killer whale. They also included two interim sanctuary zones in the Gulf Islands and two speed restricted zones near Swiftsure Bank, co-developed with Paachedaht First Nation.
[Narrator]
These annual orders help create safer and quieter waters for the Southern resident killer whales to socialize, hunt and forage and reproduce. These measures build on requirements under the marine mammal regulations, which seek to conserve and minimize disturbance to marine mammals across Canada.
[Speaker 1]
[Inaudible radio chatter]
Roger. I see you are moving now, what is your next position?
[Narrator]
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard continue to spearhead initiatives with the introduction of the Marine Mammal Desk, where violations of interim sanctuary zones can be reported to the DFO, observe, record and report hotline.
These measures are enforced by several government departments and agencies, and violations are investigated by Fisheries and Oceans Whale Protection Unit.
[Fishery Officer]
So you know this area really well. There’s a whole lot of RCA.
[Speaker 2]
Yes yes, I won’t fish over there.
[Fishery Officer]
Okay.
[Narrator]
Interim sanctuary zone violation reports are sent to the Marine Mammal Desk and Transport Canada for enforcement action.
[Geneviève Cauffopé - Chief, Emerging Programs-Enforcement, Fisheries and Oceans Canada]
A typical day for officers in the Whale Protection Unit is very busy because they get approximately 700 to 800 marine mammal incident reports a year.
[Narrator]
And the Salish Sea is also home to a growing hub for commercial marine activity, which is why the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority launched its Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation Echo Program in 2014 to help address the potential impact to at risk whales. The ECHO program continues to oversee a voluntary vessel slowdown program launched in 2017 with incredible success this year.
[Carrie Brown – Director, Ecosystem Management and Environmental Programs, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority]
In 2023, we saw over 80% participation in all three of our voluntary initiatives, and that translates to approximately 50% reduction in underwater noise or about three decibels. Pretty significant.
[Narrator]
The Government of Canada is also helping to support Southern resident killer whale recovery through its efforts at the International Maritime Organization to implement underwater noise guidelines for commercial vessels and through research under Transport Canada's Quiet Vessel Initiative. Whales are being monitored from the air, in the water and through innovative technologies to help support their recovery. Technologies like transport Canada's underwater listening station in Boundary Pass are supporting research to study underwater vessel noise and advanced solutions to help protect the killer whales.
And is supported by private research and consulting organizations like JASCO.
[David Hannay – Chief Science Officer, Jasco Applied Sciences]
Boundary Pass Underwater Listening Station consists of a set of eight underwater hydrophones, underwater microphones, and these are all listening at the same time. And this not only lets you detect sounds, but it also lets you know the direction from which the sounds are coming. And that can be useful. For example, if you need to know specifically where a whale is relative to an approaching ship.
[Narrator]
And to help provide education on the water to boaters, fishers and to Canadians in general, the Government of Canada continues to work with and fund programs like Straitwatch, a stewardship based marine mammal monitoring and education program.
[Lindsay Kolb – Straitwatch Representative]
Not only are we on the water monitoring the whales and vessels and collecting data, but we are directly contacting and educating vessels on the water. We contact vessels in the vicinity of whales to ensure that they are aware of the Marine Mammal Regulations and Be Whale Wise guidelines.
[Narrator]
While Canada has laws and regulations in place to address these threats and support the survival of Southern residents, it also asks boaters to be whale wise. Stop fishing.
Do not haul gear within 1000 meters of killer whales and reduce speed to less than seven knots when within 1000 meters of the nearest marine mammal when safe to do so. Turn off echo sounders and fish finders. If your vessel is not in compliance with distance regulations, place engine in neutral, idle and allow animals to pass, effectively ensuring the protection and recovery of Southern resident killer whales requires long term collective effort.
We can only succeed if everyone takes an active role in helping to keep them safe, knowing and following the rules and best practices, reporting any harassing behavior and staying a safe distance from Southern resident killer whales can help give them the best chance for recovery. The Southern resident killer whale is beautiful, majestic and culturally significant, and the health of the Salish Sea is dependent on the health of the species living within its waters. That's why we're all working together to help protect the Southern resident killer whale.
Text on Screen:
Report any violations or emergencies involving marine mammals (such as injuries, entanglements or dead animals) that you observe or were involved in to Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s 24/7 Observe, Record, Report line:
1-800-465-4336
DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca