Expanded measures unveiled to protect B.C.'s endangered southern resident killer whales

A newborn southern resident orca calf is seen swimming alongside its mother. (Source: DFO / John Forde and Jennifer Steven, Tofino Whale Centre)

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is expanding measures to help protect B.C.'s endangered southern resident killer whale population as part of its Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation program.

In a news release, the country's largest port says the main objective of the ECHO program is to reduce threats to at-risk whales posed by commercial ship traffic.

It encourages ship operators to slow down or stay distanced in critical habitat for southern resident killer whales, in an effort to reduce vessel noise.

This is the program's sixth season of underwater noise reduction initiatives and the port authority says more than 80 marine transportation organizations have agreed to participate in the program to date.

"Over the last six years, the ECHO program has become internationally recognized for implementing one of the world’s largest, and most successful, voluntary efforts to reduce underwater noise from ships,” says Duncan Wilson, vice-president of environment and external affairs.

“We hope to serve as an example, globally, of how collaborative efforts can create quieter oceans for endangered whales.”

This year's noise reduction measures are expected to cover a record-high distance of about 80 nautical miles of the Salish Sea, including at Swiftsure Bank, Haro Strait, Boundary Pass and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The measures will be in effect from June through November, when southern resident killer whale presence is typically at its highest, the port authority says.

In 2022, the ECHO program will also include an expanded ship slowdown trial at Swiftsure Bank, which is a known foraging area for southern resident killer whales that overlaps with international shipping lanes.

"This year, the slowdown extends to the inbound shipping lane, which is the main entry point used by commercial ships to reach the Port of Vancouver. This measure is in addition to Transport Canada’s seasonal slowdown area outside of the shipping lanes," the port authority says.

The port authority adds that since 2017, the ECHO program has helped reduce underwater sounds by up to 55 per cent in crucial killer whale foraging areas.

"Underwater noise is one of the key threats to southern resident killer whales due to its potential to interfere with their ability to hunt, navigate and communicate," it says.