Protecting B.C.'s southern resident killer whales by asking more ships to slow down

Global News

02-06-2025

The Vancouver Port Authority says it is taking more measures to help protect endangered southern resident killer whales that live off B.C.'s coast.
As part of their Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program, the port says more than 70 marine transportation organizations will slow down or move away from identified key areas of importance to at-risk whales.
The program says these measures will be in place from June to approximately November this year.
This year, the program has expanded its voluntary ship slowdown at Swiftsure Bank, off the west coast of Vancouver Island, to more effectively overlap with a 'hot spot' of southern resident killer whale activity identified by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the port said in a release.
This slowdown area is in addition to the program's annual ship slowdown at Haro Strait and Boundary Pass and its route alteration in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
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This addition to Swiftsure Bank means the program will now cover a distance of approximately 86 nautical miles of the Pacific Ocean and more than 50 per cent of the killer whale critical habitat that overlaps with commercial shipping lanes.
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'Swiftsure Bank is an important area where southern resident killer whales hunt, play, and forage together as the highly social marine mammals they are, which is why keeping noise to a minimum in this area is of critical importance to supporting the whales' recovery,' said Lance Barett-Leonard in a statement, senior scientist at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and founding adviser of the ECHO Program.
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The ECHO Program says it has already been successful in reducing underwater noise from commercial ships, which is a key threat to the whales and research shows that slowdowns can reduce the risk of whale strikes, which can kill or badly harm the whales.
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'Over the last ten years, the ECHO Program has continuously adapted its initiatives to reflect the latest research on where southern resident killer whales are present and how threats from shipping can be mitigated,' said Jennifer Natland, vice-president of properties and environment at the port authority.
'We hope to continue to demonstrate how collaborative, science-based efforts like these can create quieter oceans for endangered whales.'
According to Parks Canada, the Southern Resident Killer Whales are endangered, with only 74 whales remaining in the population (as of December 2023).
The key threats facing the species are contaminants, a decline in Chinook salmon stocks, and physical and acoustic disturbances, such as those caused by marine traffic.
'The Southern Resident killer whale is an iconic species, and its recovery depends on strong, sustained partnerships—with Indigenous communities, industry, and local stakeholders. Through our work with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and the ECHO Program, we're taking coordinated action to reduce underwater vessel noise and create a safer, quieter ocean environment that will support the recovery of this species,' said Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, in a statement.
The ECHO Program was launched in 2014.