As part of its measures to protect endangered whale populations, Transport Canada will be working with multiple partners on the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) program which is looking at ways to reduce underwater noise in key areas where there are Southern Resident Killer Whales.
This builds on an announcement by the Government of Canada in June 2018 of the $167.4 million Whales Initiative that increases Transport Canada’s research and monitoring of underwater noise and vessel movement.
The recent $1.6 million measures will include the deployment of an underwater hydrophone at Boundary Pass in the Salish Sea. Over the coming months, the hydrophone will collect individual vessel and mammal noise profiles and the information will be used to develop measures to further support the recovery of the Southern Resident Killer Whales. In addition, with support from the National Research Council of Canada, Transport Canada will carry out a four-year project to better predict propeller noise and hull vibration of a vessel.
The $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan is the largest investment ever made to protect Canada’s coasts and waterways. Through this plan, the Government of Canada is creating a world-leading marine safety system that provides economic opportunities for Canadians today, while protecting coasts and waterways for generations to come. This work is being done in close collaboration with Indigenous peoples, local stakeholders and coastal communities.
Canada’s Whales Initiative builds on the success of the Oceans Protection Plan to support the recovery of endangered whale populations. Coming from the West Coast and thanks to my work on this issue during my previous experience as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, I am keenly aware of the plight of the Southern Resident Killer Whale. I know how important the survival of this whale population is for Canadians and I am proud to be advancing key initiatives to help address their recovery,
…said Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport.
A key focus of the ECHO Program is supporting the recovery of southern resident killer whales, and the underwater hydrophone is critical to our understanding of how underwater vessel noise might be affecting these and other at-risk species. Transport Canada’s initiative aligns well with our environmental objectives and we are pleased to see their ongoing commitment to protect the marine environment,
…noted Duncan Wilson, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility at Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
In Haro Strait, a voluntary vessel slowdown in summer 2018 was built on the successful 2017 slowdown in the same area that significantly reduced underwater noise in critical habitat when Southern Resident Killer Whales were present.
During summer 2018, there were no reported deaths of the North Atlantic right whale in Canadian waters.
