On 10 May 2019, the Government of Canada issued an Interim Order announcing a suite of new measures to be implemented this summer to protect the endangered Southern Resident killer whales from vessel disturbance.
The new measures, effective from 1st June 2019, seek to help address the key threats of lack of prey and acoustic and physical disturbance for the marine mammals. The Interim Order will be in place until 31 October 2019.
As of 1st June 2019:
- All vessels are prohibited from approaching any killer whale within a 400-metre distance. This prohibition applies throughout the Southern Resident killer whale critical habitat.
- Recognizing their specialized knowledge to identify different species, commercial whale watch operators and eco-tourism companies that demonstrate a commitment to environmental conservation may apply for authorization from the Minister of Transport to approach non-Southern Resident killer whales to a distance of 200 metres.
- Vessels are prohibited from entering areas newly designated as Interim Sanctuary Zones. These zones are located at Swiftsure Bank, off the east coast of Saturna Island, and south-west of North Pender Island. Some exemptions are provided for emergency response vessels and Indigenous persons engaged in certain activities.
The population of Southern Resident killer whales is small and declining, with only 75 remaining, and they are exposed to a number of serious threats, including underwater noise and disturbance from vessels.
Given the imminent threats whales are facing, the Government is also asking vessel operators to respect the following voluntary measures:
- Respect a “Go Slow” zone around whales by reducing speed to less than 7 knots when within 1,000 metres of a whale in the Enhanced Management Areas that have been identified through the Gulf Islands, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Mouth of the Fraser River; and
- Reduce noise by turning echo sounders off when not in use and turning engines to neutral idle when within 400 metres of a whale.
On 27 May, the Pacific Whale Watch Association signed an agreement demonstrating its commitment to refrain from offering tours on Southern Resident killer whales, as well as taking other stewardship actions.
On the basis of the exemption outlined above, the Association’s members will receive authorization from the Minister of Transport allowing them to approach non-Southern Resident killer whales to a distance of 200 metres within Southern Resident killer whale critical habitat.
Other whale watch operators and eco-tourism companies willing to undertake similar measures for the protection of Southern Resident killer whales may equally apply for this authorization.
Building on the $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan, last year the Government of Canada introduced the $167.4 million Whales Initiative to protect and support the recovery of three at-risk whale species: the Southern Resident killer whales; the North Atlantic right whale; and the St. Lawrence Estuary beluga whale.
In October 2018, an additional, $61.5 million was dedicated to address threats to the Southern Resident killer whale. These initiatives support the recovery of Canada’s endangered whale populations by addressing the main threats they face: lack of prey, noise and physical disturbance from vessels, vessel strikes, and pollution from land-based sources.
For 25 years, PWWA members have supported science-based efforts and research to understand and limit the effect of vessel traffic on killer whales. The realities on our shared waterways include vessels in size from three metres to 300 metres. Today, we alert military, passenger, shipping, and recreational vessels when they are unaware of whales in an area. We remain the quietest vessels on the water, and the sentinels of the sea for whales through our science-based vessel management plan. PWWA members educate passengers and drive conservation efforts with every trip,
…said Alan McGillivray, Canadian President of the Pacific Whale Watch Association.
