Posts Tagged ‘Canada’
Canada approves pipeline despite concerns for Southern Resident orcas
In extremely disappointing but not unexpected news from Canada last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion – a project long opposed by First Nations, coastal communities, and environmental groups in both Canada and the U.S., in addition to the British Columbia provincial government and the state of Washington.…
Read MoreCanada announces 2019 plans to protect North Atlantic right whales
February 7, 2019: Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced their 2019 management measures to reduce risk to North Atlantic right whales in Canadian waters. In 2017, 17 right whales were found dead, 12 of them in a span of just three months in Atlantic Canada. Investigations into those deaths revealed the leading causes…
Read MoreCanada expands critical habitat for at-risk orca populations
Last week, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans made an expansion of critical habitat for both the Northern and Southern Resident orca populations official. Like in the U.S., a critical habitat designation recognizes that an area with certain features is vital for the survival of an endangered species, and protects designated areas from activities that…
Read MoreNew actions announced in Canada to protect Southern Resident orcas
In response to a court-ordered review of the environmental impacts of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and to a petition submitted by environmental groups in January 2018, the Canadian government has announced new measures to help protect the endangered Southern Resident orcas. These actions are part of the $167.4 million (CAD) Whales Initiative that Canada…
Read MoreCanadian groups announce lawsuit of government over failure to protect Southern Resident orcas
A coalition of conservation groups in Canada has filed suit against the Trudeau administration to protect the Southern Resident orcas. The lawsuit follows a petition filed earlier this year asking the Ministers of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to recommend an emergency order to protect the…
Read MoreNew actions in the Northwest to help Southern Resident orcas and salmon
As the Washington State Task Force starts to examine threats to the endangered Southern Resident orca population and outline potential measures to protect the orcas and their primary prey, Chinook salmon, new actions for the summer season have been introduced on both sides of the border. New voluntary vessel guidelines and area closures have begun…
Read MoreAn end to captivity in Canada?
After being stalled in the Canadian Senate since November 2017, a bill that would ban whale and dolphin captivity in Canada is finally moving forward. If S-203 passes the Senate, it will be voted on by Parliament and be one step closer to becoming law. The bill would criminalize holding whales and dolphins captive in…
Read MoreCanadian government pushes pipeline while NGOs push for action to save Southern Resident orcas
In disappointing news from Canada, Prime Minister Trudeau is sticking by his decision to move ahead with the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline – a controversial and long-debated expansion that would triple the amount of tar sands oil being moved to the coast in British Columbia (BC), where the oil would be loaded onto tankers…
Read MoreAtlantic salmon net pens threaten wild salmon, endangered orcas
An investigation into the August 2017 disaster at an Atlantic salmon net pen facility in the Salish Sea, an inland waterway home to multiple types of whales and dolphins, found that the scale of the event was greatly downplayed by the owners of the fish farm. Washington State launched an investigation into the facility after…
Read MoreCanadian organizations push government for emergency action to save Southern Resident orcas
Canada conservation organizations are petitioning their federal government to take immediate action under the Species at Risk Act (SARA, the Canadian equivalent to the U.S. Endangered Species Act) to protect the endangered Southern Resident orca population and the Chinook salmon they depend on. They are specifically seeking measures to protect critical feeding areas, including limiting…
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