"Urgent and bold action" is needed to save the endangered southern resident killer whales from extinction “before it’s too late,” says a new report from a group of scientists.
Despite two decades of protection under both Canadian and U.S. legislation, the southern resident population has declined to 73 individuals, “with no sign of recovery.”
For the first time, scientists from Canada, the U.S. and Europe have proposed a roadmap to recovery, to steer the killer whales off their path to extinction.
“The threats are well known, the science is clear and we know what needs to be done,” said Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, cetacean scientist at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, in a news release.
In June, the federal government announced protection measures, primarily addressing acoustic and physical disturbance to southern residents from recreational, fishing and whale watching vessels.
However, the new report says these measures largely repeat earlier approaches, which have not halted their decline.
Twenty-six science-based recommendations have been made in the report to aid recovery, including finalizing and implementing vessel noise reduction targets; and phasing out the use of chemicals that contaminate the whales’ food chain.
“Many of which can be implemented immediately,” says the news release from the David Suzuki Foundation, a Vancouver-based environmental organization.
One key area for the team of scientists is improving the quality, abundance and access to prey for the southern residents.
Their report recommends the southern residents have "priority access" to the early runs of chinook salmon, which return to the Fraser River in the spring and early summer, through fishing closures.
They also urge the government to set seasonal and annual chinook abundance thresholds for the whales based on their "daily prey energetic requirements," placing restrictions on fisheries if it is expected the whales' needs will not be met.
The result of a workshop held in Vancouver in March, with a panel of 31 experts, it is hoped the report will be used as a guide for a clear path forward for governments, Indigenous Nations, conservation organizations, industry and the broader public.
"While the panel acknowledged the complexities of policy implementation, it emphasized that many of the recommended actions are ready to implement immediately, without the need for further study," notes the release.
“This is a chance to course-correct before it’s too late," said a statement from Jeffery Young, senior science and policy analyst at the David Suzuki Foundation.
"Southern resident killer whales are more than just icons, they are ecosystem sentinels – their survival signals the health of our coast.”
To read the ‘Strengthening recovery actions for southern resident killer whales’ report, visit: https://davidsuzuki.org.
