Skip to content

Canada announces 2019 plans to protect North Atlantic right whales

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

New 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 More

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…

Read More