Submitted by Raincoast Conservation Foundation

The Southern resident killer whales were recognized as endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act in 2002. Despite this, and understanding why they’re endangered, the federal government has taken no action to date to reduce their threats. After a suite of deaths in recent years and no successful calves since 2015, only 76 Southern resident killer whales remain.

The Raincoast Conservation Foundation staff are requesting an emergency order under SARA that outlines specific actions around two primary objectives:

• Increase the abundance of Chinook Salmon, (the Southern residents’ primary food), through a suite of measures that include restricting the harvest of Chinook.
• Limit the noise and disturbance from boats that interferes with their ability to hunt salmon and communicate, especially within identified feeding refuges.

Below is a video summarizing the request.

A Killer Whale Emergency from Raincoast Conservation on Vimeo.