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Canada approves pipeline despite concerns for Southern Resident orcas

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.…

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Canada 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…

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Canada 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…

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New 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…

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Canadian 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…

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An 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…

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Atlantic 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…

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Canadian 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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